What's Wrong With You!?

[Anadwen]

It was one of those days when nothing goes right. It wasn't enough that Isako knocked the plate with breakfast over him, and he had to change into different clothes to avoid the stench of fish for the rest of the day. It wasn't enough that his mother Risa was scolding all three of them the whole morning for leaving weapons in a wrong room, which they had to use the day before for training.

It wasn't enough. Now he accidentally destroyed one of the training dummies in the hall with an exceptionally violent strike. He was supposed to teach Minoru - and where was Minoru? Late!

The goblet of his patience was on its edge before overflowing. He kicked into the halved remains of the figure, and pushed them away, scowling so grimly the sun would go dim was he not inside. The pieces of hard wood sled on the ground till they hit the wall, carefully watched by Seiki all along, who then picked up the edge of his robe to clean the long blade of his soul-cutter katana. It was as clear as a mirror even before - this gesture was only a way to waste time.

His keen ears picked up the sound of footsteps somewhere behind him, and he raised his eyes from the blade in his hands, glancing over his shoulders at the doorway.

[Alegretto]

Minoru was purposely late to the training session to bother Seiki. Anything he could do to bother his older cousin was good in his book. He hated the man, though all he could do for now was bother him in a little ways. Seiki was much stronger than him.

He stepped into the practice room. "Hey there Seiki. How are you doing?" he smiled cheerily. "You ready to practice?" he hefted his practice weapon. He noticed that his older cousin was carrying his real weapon. "Why do you have that?" he asked, genuinely confused. They didn't usually practice with real weapons. There was too much of a skill and strength difference between the pair.

[Anadwen]

"You're late." Seiki noted plainly, lifting one hand from the handle of his sword and fastening his hair on top of his head. It has already grown too long... He scowled at Minoru at his inquiry.

"We're not training with the wooden ones. Today, it's the real ones, not toys. Get your soul-cutter." he instructed him with a voice as cold as ice. There was even less kindness in his overall attitude today than other days - if he was cold before, then now, he was comparable with an iceberg.

He wasn't going to waste his time on training the usual, simple way today. He was going full-on, and nothing was going to stop him. Minoru was getting on his nerves, together with the whole rest of his family.

[Alegretto]

Minoru's eyes widened when Seiki told him they were using real weapons. That wasn't good. There was another reason that Minoru hated his cousin. He was afraid of him. Seiki was far stronger and more skilled than he, but Minoru didn't know if he was skilled enough to prevent injuries with real weapons. And something seemed off about him today.

But there was no way he was going to tell his cousin no. He agonized over the decision for some long moments before arriving at a course of action. "Alright cousin, real weapons it is."

Minoru placed his wooden sword on a stand by the door and drew his soul-cutter from it's sheath at his belt. Like all Adachi's, Minoru carried his weapon at all times, though his was rarely used considering his lack of ghost-seeing ability.

He placed his sword in front of him with a steady two-handed grip. He adopted a ready stance, his weapon facing upward at Seiki's eyes and his hands holding the hilt low by his waste. Seiki was the teacher, so Minoru waited for him to make the first move.

[Anadwen]

"You have not trained with me for long. Have you done so, you would have known that we will be using our Zanpakutōs." Seiki reminded him calmly, without shooting a single glance in his direction. Just as cold as he always was... It would be a miracle to see his face twitch in an expression of emotions.

His cousin's combat abilities were, in his opinion, more than lacking, and it was angering him. He was always convinced that unless you tried your best, until you cried blood and fainted of exhaustion, you weren't trying enough! And that was what he did... He trained.

He took a confident stance, but remained light on his feet, carrying his head high. His soul-cutter, almost as long as he was tall, was in his hands, pointing forth and towards the floor with its sharp tip. He drew a breath in, and ceremonially bowed to his opponent.

Very few have ever seen Seiki Naohiro Adachi draw his weapon, or sheathe it. Very few have ever seen where or when the blows fell. But everyone has always seen the carnage, the destruction that was left afterwards. He was a master of his weapon, but he was more than that - he was a master of his own self. He cleared his mind of everything that could draw his attention away, and concentrated only on the battle itself.

His thin lips opened slowly, and he spoke again. "My first task for you will be simple." His voice was indifferent, but the fact that he wasn't going to have any mercy with Minoru was apparent. One of his hands arose to his hair, and tied a white string among its long black wisps. "Get this ribbon out of my hair. That is all I ask. I will not attack you for the start."

[Alegretto]

Minoru frowned. He hated it how Seiki acted like just because he hadn't trained with him, he didn't know what he was doing. Minoru was more than aware of the natural differences in strength and speed between the two, but he could hardly do anything about that. When they were much younger, Minoru had been the stronger one, but that hadn't lasted long. Seiki had surpassed him many years ago, and now it seemed to him that no amount of effort or hard work could ever bring him up to his cousin's level of physical ability, it just wasn't possible.

However he was confident that his technique was almost as good as Seiki's. They'd both spent their entire childhood learning from the whole clan after all, though both got instruction Takuya in particular. Why should his cousin have the right to judge him for being weaker? He tried just as hard, and was almost as skilled technically, why didn't anyone appreciate his effort? It just wasn't fair. Why him? Why couldn't he be as physically gifted and...

He was rocked out of his venomous thoughts when Seiki began speaking to him about the goal of today's training session. He looked with concern at the ribbon in his cousin's hair. How was he supposed to remove that? The ribbon was tied to his hair, ergo behind his head, and there was no way for him to get a sword back there from the front. And as if that wasn't enough, there weren't very many techniques that he could think of that would get his cousin to expose his back. Seiki was too good for that.

He could close in and try to grab at the ribbon with his hands, but that seemed like a good way to get his arm chopped off. What did that leave him with? He didn't have anything, but he could tell that Seiki was getting more and more impatient with his lack of action. Normally he would have been happy to bother him, but something was different today. Something in Seiki's bearing behooved him to take action quickly.

He decided to play it safe for now and look for an opening. He began with a very conservative and yet elegant two-handed stab. It was a simple move, extending both arms out straight in front of you while stepping forward to give speed and momentum to your blow. The strike is directed straight at the chest and it's intended to force your opponent to block or move backwards or to the side. If they move to the side, you followed them with the sword with a horizontal swing. If they retreated you pressed in and brought your weapon back to ready position, maintaining neutrality and yet applying pressure. And if they blocked, you brought your hands back down in front of you to ready your weapon and prepare for their counter-strike.

Minoru kept all of these possibilities in mind as he began their engagement. Let the sparring begin.

[Anadwen]

A clever move, but Seiki was afraid that it wouldn't work... Not on him. Few were aware of his true potential and skill, and he kept this from them on purpose. Envy could be found even within one's own family, and all it ever resulted in was fear and hatred. And therefore, on the outside he pretended to be on the same level as everyone else.

He leaped in a large turn to Minoru's side, blocking his blow with the blade of Blood-red Blossom, and slipped behind his back, as fast as a whirlwind. The truth was different than what they knew... Even though in his youth he was nothing close to a good fighter, he trained, and became far better than anyone would have expected. He took even extra lessons from Takuya... Who was now the only one who could still surpass him.

It wasn't about being gifted... Actually, Seiki wasn't too naturally gifted in anything except for his extraordinary spiritual powers. It was all just training... He went so far that he took additional lessons from his father, and he went further. Back in his time, he was endangering even himself with the extent into which he went with training - he kept beating into training dummies with his sword till he fainted of exhaustion. His status of the second best Adachi warrior was more than deserved...

Often, he disappeared from home for a few days, and only a few knew what he was doing - though, it appeared to be nothing pleasant. He was hunting... And it was fruitful. It was one of the few cases when he had nothing to hold back. And that was how he fought today.

He was like a winter storm when he flashed around and appeared behind his cousin's back, faster than the eye would catch him. Blood-red Blossom's tip slashed at his back, but stopped before it would pierce his skin, instead only scraping the robe a little. "If this would have been a real blow, I would have destroyed the center of your spiritual potential, barring you of any use of spiritual energy ever again. If it was two inches higher, I could have severed your chain of fate. And that is followed by death in a few days." he informed Minoru in the same unimpressed, cold voice.

"Wake up, and fight like you would fight your enemy. You will achieve nothing if you keep holding back."

[Alegretto]

Minoru sighed internally. Seiki wasn't even giving him time to warm up. Fine, all-out it was. He could take comfort in the fact that even full strength there was no way for him to hit his cousin, he thought wryly.

He spun at his top speed, quick, though not faster than Seiki. He pivoted on his right foot and used the momentum of his movement to power the horizontal sword swing he sent out behind him. He gripped his soul-cutter with only his right hand so he could follow the sword blow, which he figured Seiki would probably block or dodge, with a left-handed grab at his cousin's head. He landed his left foot far inside his cousin's space to try and prevent him making full use of his long blade. He was at an advantage if both their swords were disabled. It decreased the chances of his arm getting removed while making a grab for the ribbon.

He knew his attacks were conservative and simple, but making full economy of little motions was the only way he could compensate for his deficiency in physical ability. Luckily he wasn't prone to excessive displays of skill like his cousin. He was quite content with the utilitarian basics thank you very much.

[Anadwen]

Seiki's reply was a short vertical swing of his own sword, which blocked Minoru's blow before it would get to him and cut into his shoulder. The cold metal clinked as the blades crashed into each other, and he let the blade of Blood-red Blossom sled back out of the clash, turning on his heel and in a swift turn that would bring him behind his cousin, and out of the reach of his outstretched hand. He was aiming to get out of Minoru's space, and he jumped over his foot, not letting his hand get anywhere near his head.

He was fast, very fast, when he whirled behind his back, and attempted to surprise his cousin by a fast blow, cleaving at his neck from the right, a completely different direction than where he was just a moment ago. Utilizing the moment of surprise was very own to him - if one ever wanted to fight ghosts and spirits, it was crucial. A fast blow at the back of the head.

However, he also noticed how little was Minoru moving, and he tried to change that. They were both trained in martial arts just as well, so why wasn't he using all his skills?

It was surprisingly much like fighting Shinobu. The subtle movement, simple, but refined blows... But there was something this fighting technique lacked. To him, it lacked resolve, it lacked the convincement. It was too much like training.

He didn't want to train. His blows were fully aimed to kill.

[Alegretto]

Minoru sword strike was blocked, as he expected, and his grab at Seiki was futile. He lost track of him for a second, which meant that his cousin was already behind him. Without hesitation, Minoru reversed his hold on his katana, using a backwards grip. He ducked down low hoping to avoid the blow that he knew would be coming, and he sent the blade out under his shoulder. The attack would pierce anything directly behind him.

Of course, Seiki would probably see the move coming. He made a forward roll to avoid any further attacks. and to establish some space. He ended his tumble coming back to standing in a neutral position, facing towards where Seiki would be. If he hadn't moved. Which he probably had.

[Anadwen]

At the blow Minoru sent at him, Seiki made a long step to the far left, and shifted further by crossing his right leg over his left. Right now, he was pretty far from his cousin... Though not far enough to perform the trick he wanted to try out.

Now he was right before him, but Minoru was turned aside. There was no better opportunity. In fighting, being instant and reacting quickly was crucial.

He leaped into the air, launching himself forth, and in mid-air bent his legs, making a massive cleave with his Zanpakutō, aimed at Minoru. A massive, not a large cleave. It was a fast swing of the long blade, coming diagonally from the right down at Seiki's opponent. He should hit the floor where Minoru was just standing, or, to be more accurate, somewhat behind that. If he wouldn't move, the motion of the sword could cut him in half, just like Blood-red Blossom was often used before to reap evil spirits.

[Alegretto]

Minoru searched for his cousin. Like he thought, the man had moved, and he couldn't see him. Where, where, there!

By the time he noticed Seiki coming in from up high and form the side, it was almost too late. His cousin's soul cutter was coming down in a wide arc that had all of the man's power and momentum behind it.

Minoru didn't even consider trying to block that kind of attack and made a dodging leap to the side instead. He cleared the space just before Seiki landed a few feet (OOC: about a meter) behind where he'd been standing the moment before.

It took him a moment to recover himself and he had absolutely no time to counter. He barely had time to recover himself in preparation of his cousin's next strike.

[Anadwen]

When his cousin evaded this blow, Seiki landed in an elegant roll on the ground behind where he stood before, and stood up as quickly as he leaped into the air before. It appeared that Minoru has moved back again, and he followed with a long step towards him, accompanied by a slash of Blood-red Blossom at his shoulder. In a real battle, it would disarm him, and an unarmed and hurt enemy is an easy target.

The soul-cutter ripped a part of the fabric, but the fast blow stopped before it could actually injure him, as Seiki spun around, and shifted behind his back again. His eyes were narrowed with disdain.

"Every strike you make resonates only with fear." His usually cold, emotionless voice was suddenly pierced with a thorn of disgust. "Shameful. Disgraceful."

He took his blade to both hands, and made a few steps back, calmly watching his opponent. "When you attack, it's 'I'm afraid to kill'. When you block, it's 'I'm afraid to be killed'. And you dare hold a weapon with this attitude."

A good few feet behind him, he stopped.

[Alegretto]

Minoru just didn't have time to react to Seiki's follow-up attack and he froze as his cousin's blade tore through his clothing. Though, it didn't tear so much as slice daintily. Precise as ever, he noted mentally with disdain.

He let his cousin disengage and resume his stance and he did the same. He took the verbal assault with the same stillness that he'd withstood the attack on his clothes. He had nothing to say to his cousin in response.

When Seiki had once again separated them to a proper dueling distance, Minoru raised his sword. His cousin would probably want him to attack again, and there was no way he could EVER disappoint his dear, DEAR cousin. ((OOC: Minoru's mental sarcasm, saying it cause it never translates well in text XD))

He approached Seiki slowly at first, and then leapt into motion all at once. He brought his blade down quickly while trying to close the distance, determined turn the battle into a close fight. That would give him the advantage when making grabs for the stupid ribbon.

[Anadwen]

The blade of Seiki's soul-cutter countered Minoru's in a fast block, and let the other blade slide down, pushing it back.

"You will never accomplish anything with fear." he said in the short moment before stepping back.

And then, he let the blows rain down onto his cousin. It was like a hailstorm of strikes, faster than lightning. They were coming from all sides in a complicating dance of stabbing and slashing motions, meant both to get the weapon out of his opponent's hands, push him into the corner, and finally, kill him. None of them actually hit him, but if it would be real combat, they would be deadly.

And with each step, each blow, his strength and speed ascended. He begun making small leaps to add his blows the much needed momentum.

[Alegretto]

He was able to hold his own at first, he really was, but it took Seiki a very short amount of time to overcome his defenses, and it soon became clear to Minoru that his cousin was going easy on him. Which was good. If the crazy man didn't go easy than Minoru would already be dead.

Desperately he parried blow after blow, but he couldn't hold it once Seiki started adding the weight of his whole body to his shots. One particularly solid strike dislodged Minoru's soul cutter and sent it sailing off behind him where it landed with a loud clatter.

Wearily, Minoru breathed deeply, trying to recover himself from the exertion. He stared at his cousin, trying to muster some kind of snide remark, but he was too tired, and Seiki was clearly not in the mood.

[Anadwen]

In the moment Minoru's weapon was sent out of his hands, Seiki stopped. He froze in the middle of a blow, and shifted back into his calm, stern stance. His glance was nothing if disapproving and full of disgust as it ran up and down his cousin's figure.

"How disgraceful. This is truly a shame." he exclaimed, sheathing his blade again. "How do you ever wish to become a rightful warrior when you cannot complete a simple task?" His eyes narrowed, and his pale hand pointed at Minoru's Zanpakuto. "Pick up your blade. We will start again."

He turned around, and walked back to the starting position. "Enough of this play. This time, I will not stop my blows." His hand reached into his hair, and took the white ribbon out. Surprisingly, he tied his left hand to his back, and took his blade only to his right one. "For your safety, I will not utilize my full potential."

[Alegretto]

Sulkily, Minoru retrieved his weapon. Seiki was in even worse of a mood than usual today. Who put a bee in his pants?

Once he'd picked up his weapon, Minoru resumed his neutral stance. As soon as his cousin was set as well, he continued his attack. The match was much more even once Seiki was using only his right hand, and even though his cousin wasn't restraining himself, Minoru was able to hold his own. If barely. He still couldn't find a way past Seiki's defense, however, and small cuts began accumulating from strikes that he couldn't quite block.

[Anadwen]

At first, Seiki went relatively easy on him, throwing simple and relatively slow - though to others they would appear fast - blows which Minoru blocked. Holding his heavy sword with only one hand barred him from doing complicated motions, but he still had more than the blade alone.

After a blow, which was blocked by his opponent, he stepped back, and whirled back towards him, kicking towards his head, while his sword was swung at Minoru to smite him down. His cousin would be a match for Shinobu, who he could maybe defeat, if she couldn't use Kido. But he was the master swordsman of the Adachi house.

He became a rightful warrior at the second soonest age in the history of the house. His movement was like the flight of a blossom in the wind... He turned in the air, and flew through the air like an arrow, as he twisted around, and landed behind Minoru. It was less than a second. Less than half of it.

An eye couldn't possibly catch his movement. At one moment, he was before Minoru, and all of a sudden, he was behind him.

"You are slow." he exclaimed.

[Alegretto]

That last sword strike was too fast for Minoru to follow, and even though he was able to reflexibly block it, there was no way for him to keep track of Seiki after it, and he lost sight of him. Well, until the man's voice came from behind him.

He laughed acidly. "Are you sure that it's not that you're just too damn fast?" He stepped away to create some distance. "What's eating you today Seiki? You're usually mean but at least sometimes your helpful. All you've done today is critique me on things I can't really fix."