Warrior's Heart

Kyouga was bored once again, and he was marveled by the livelyness of this town. It felt slightly constricting, but he devoured a few lesser hollows to keep him full for a while because he knew Shinigami would be around. Kyouga was now wearing his more modern attire: his short-sleeved black Espada jacket that showed off his front mesomorphic torso, black jeans, and his uniform sandals. It surely wasn't long before he felt the presence of his enemy nearby.

On a special request Tenju was allowed to visit the world of the living in order to return to one of the places he had traveled through after leaving his temple to wander the world. It was here in Karakura Town that Tenju defeated his first hollow as a soul and it is also where he unlocked his dormant shinigami powers saving himself from the horrors of hollowfication. He arrived through the senkaimon clad in a gigai that wore martial arts clothing from overseas in China as they were both practical for combat as well as comfortable.

It wasn't long however before Tenju sensed a powerful an ominous reiatsu that felt strangely like that of a hollow and shinigami combined. It was a foreboding feeling and Tenju was supposed to only be here for leisure purposes however it was his duty as a shinigami to slay hollow and defend living souls. That being said he put his plans to revisit the place where he became a shinigami aside and popped a gikongai to take care of his faux body. Tenju's soul would emerge in full shinigami uniform and vanish with a shunpo towards the source of the overwhelming power.

The closer Tenju got the more intoxicating the reiatsu felt as the spiritual pressure became far more dense than anything he had ever felt before. By the time he arrived on scene Tenju was already sweating bullets as an instinctive worry began to settle in his stomach. Tenju had never encountered an Espada before and so he did not recognize the man in black as an enemy and instead was looking around for the familiar bestial appearance of a hollow.

"Relax, I ate before I came here. Besides, I don't like fighting others that cannot fight back." Kyouga said assertively to the very tall Shinigami as he turned around. Kyouga was almost 6 feet tall, but still this guy towered over him. "Woooow, you sure are tall for someone who looks big and tough. However, you wouldn't last long in a fight agaist me." Kyouga said with a chuckle as he grinned, showing his sharp fangs.

Tenju's eyes widened in surprise as the stranger began speaking to him and it became apparent that he was the source of the reiatsu. This was his first time ever seeing an arrancar as well as his first time ever encountering someone so powerful, it was a belittling experience as the man cast him aside as someone unable to fight back. Tenju gave the man an intense stare as he reached for his zanpakutou, "Don't be so quick to judge..." a hint of confidence in his voice which by all rights shouldn't be there.

Tenju's instincts were telling him to run but his pride and sense of duty drove courage through him to stand his ground and draw his weapon, "Rrrraaaaaagh!!!!!!!" Tenju began to release his reiatsu to it's maximum output releasing every bit of power he could, surely the soul society would be monitoring the city and be alerted of the arrancar's presence. It was up to Tenju to make sure he kept this man here until back up arrived.

Tenju's reiatsu was normally describable as massive by his peers in the academy however he was sure it would be as but a fly in comparison to this mans might, "Ichiken, Tenju...Squad 6 Recruit..." is all Tenju would say as he drew both his zanpakutou and stared down this overwhelming foe.

"Kyouga Minamoto-Yukimura, Sexta Espada and God-King of the Kingdom Symphonia." Kyouga calmly introduced himself as he sonidoed right in-front of the recruit. "How has Michael been?" Kyouga asked the recruit, changing the subject because he knew that Tenju would only hurt himself otherwise. However, Kyouga did smile a little bit more normally as he started to turn away from the recruit.

Tenju watched closely as the man introduced himself as one of the God Kings of Hueco Mundo, this man had quite the impressive title to support his commanding and powerful presence. Then suddenly with no warning other than the sudden sound of static buzzing through the atmosphere the man named Kyouga was standing right in front of Tenju. It was almost as if he teleported and the shock was apparent on the recruits face as he stood there stunned for a moment before suddenly jumping back away from the man a good 10 meters, "Michael?...Taichou?" Tenju muttered to himself as he touched ground, it seemed this foe knew his captain.

Either way Tenju had to do something, he couldn't just stand there and look at the enemy blindly. In a sudden desperate rush Tenju dashed forwards and moved to stab one of his zanpakutou into the arrancar's right eye. All of Tenju's reiatsu, speed and might was poured into the attack as he let out a powerful battle cry.

Kyouga smiled as he became a visage of static, and he reappeared right next to Tenju as he elbowed him in the stomach. "Sorry, but you asked for it big guy." Kyouga said kindly to Tenju. "Your captain is someone who I respect, and these humans are the future." Kyouga explained to Tenju, hoping that this warrior would understand that Squad 6 was the only Squad that piqued his interest.

What just happened? Tenju was just charging full speed and next thing he knew there was an incredible pain in his gut as his breath left him, his battle cry silenced. Tenju would drop to his knees letting out a labored cough as blood spilled from his mouth painting the floor with spots of red. Tenju gasped for air before coughing again as his vision went blurry and his body curled in on itself from the hit. He could see the man standing next to him out of the corner of his eye and could hear him saying something but he couldn't make it out over the sound of his own breathing and heartbeat.

Tenju gripped his zanpakutou tightly in hand and suddenly slashed at the back of Kyouga's heel aiming for his tendons as he tried to fight through the piercing pain in his stomach.

Kyouga didn't flinch when Tenju attempted to cut his tendons, but the blade bounced off of him as if his body was made of reinforced steel. Kyouga frowned and sighed as he saw Tenju's hand bleed severly. On instinct, Kyouga tore a piece of his sleeve off and used it to bandage up Tenju's hand so that the bleeding would stop. Since the bandage was made from his own spirit energy, it would accelerate the healing time of the wound and leave no scarring. "Other than the abdominal pain, are you going to be okay?" Kyouga asked calmly as he gently set Tenju's arm down.

As Tenju's blade struck the mans body it did nothing more than bounce off like a twig thrown at a steel wall, in turn damaging his own hand in the process. Tenju grit his teeth as he writhed in pain not noticing that his hand was being taken and bandaged due to the numbing pain coursing through it. Tenju eventually took notice of Kyouga's first aid and simply stared in confusion, "What...Why are you doing this?..." He asked looking on in awe of his opponents mercy. This was the first time he ever received anything close to compassion or even remotely good intentions from something with a hollow's reiatsu and it was quite vexing.

"Unlike most active Shinigami, your Captain has my utmost respect. Besides, I see no honor in killing a recruit; especially one that has so much latent potential." Kyouga said with a sigh as he stood up. "Give Mike my regards." Kyouga added as he turned turned around, and was about to walk away.

As the man turned to walk away Tenju reached out with his bandaged hand and gripped his ankle, "Wait..." Tenju would cough again as he forced himself up to his feet and picked up his zanpakutou. Tenju would then sheath his blades and pull his arms through the sleeves of his shihakushou revealing his bare chest and the X shaped scar he bore upon it, "I am not my captain, his name is not enough to spar my life on..." Tenju would turn to face the arrancar standing with confidence as his eyes stared at Kyouga with an otherworldly resolve, "I accept my lose and as such shall accept your blade. Cut me down and if fate desires, I will live and return to fight you again when I am stronger." It was a request to save Tenju's honor, one that he hoped this Espada would recognize and accept. To deny this would bring Tenju shame to his warrior spirit and hurt more than any attack ever could.

"I am touched by your bravery and honor as both a man and a warrior. You deserve better than a swing of my scythe, and it will be something you may take pride in." Kyouga said as he clapped his hands together so it looked like he was praying. "This may briefly stop your heart, but you'll come-to after one or two minutes" Kyouga said as he placed his right hand right over the center of Tenju's chest, causing black lightning and energy to surge around the area of application as a thought echoed in Tenju's mind; Become strong, Tenju... Strong enough to surpass me! Kyouga finally removed his hand to reveal a large black number six over his chest, exactly like the one Kyouga had himself. It was strange, but Kyouga recognized Tenju as someone who deserved recognition, and not punishment.

The smell of a hot burning cuban cigar could be smelt close by, suddenly the two would be able to feel a large powerful spiritual pressure one that is well known. As the spiritual pressure was revealed a voice came by and said.

"Tut tut tut Kyouga, I do hope you're not actually laying a finger on my recruit, because You know what I will do if you do anything to him."

Michael jumped up from his position on a high rooftop looking over the area and landed beside his recruit, he pulled his recruit back and then grabed Kyouga by the neck and raised him to his feet.

"Well then Kyouga, Answer me, what did you do to my recruit?"

The warnings of his heart stopping proved true as Tenju's eyes went lifeless and he passed out now branded with the number 6 over his scar. He would have fallen to the ground lifeless were it not for his captain arriving and pulling him back. Tenju's roll in this event was now over, unconscious of the world it was up these two men what now happened next.

"First of all, it was your recruit who attacked me first. I did lightly elbow him in the stomach to make him stop, but he then tried to cut the tendons in my leg; which ended up causing his hand to bleed severely. To stop the bleeding, I wrapped his hand with some of the material of my jacket that I tore off. Finally, he stopped me and wanted me to cut his chest; knowing that my scythe would cut through him like butter, I decided to give him that tattoo instead. In fact, he should be stirring any minute now." Kyouga explained long-windedly, and was waiting for Michael to beat the stuffing out of him.

"Heh... you still touched him, so you know the rules!"

Michael throws Kyouga around 10 feet away from him and then unsheaths his right zanpaktou and spins it around and then says to Kyouga.

"Unsheath you're zanpaktou, I aint had a fight in a while! I need to get the rust of my blades!"

Tenju drifted through the darkness of unconsciousness like he was sinking under the ocean, opening his eyes lightly to the void Tenju found his body unresponsive, "Hah! You're weaker than ever!" A gutteral voice shouted from inside his head as he began to struggle for air...

Outside in the real world a hollows reiatsu would suddenly erupt from Tenju's body as small fragments of white reishi began to form in the air around his face and concentrate around his scar. "Rraaaaaaaagggghhh!!!!" a deep and monstrous roar escaped Tenju's mouth as he got up to his feet and revealed the partially formed mask on his face. His left eye was now black with a silver iris as he cheek and eye were covered by a white mask fragment that seemed to be slowly obtaining more form.

Unleashing a reiatsu stronger than what Tenju normally did he filled the air with dense reishi as the beast in control grabbed it's zanpakutou and lashed out at the closest thing to him, Michael. The reiatsu around the blade was dense and sharpened more so than usual and Tenju was not weakened by the limiter vice captain class shinigami or higher had to wear when entering the living realm. A heavy one handed vertical slash would come down aimed for Michael's back threatening to deal damage to his spinal cord if it were capable of cutting that deep.

Michael sences the sudden burts of hollow riatsu, Michael's eyes widen as he instantly raises his riatsu back to its normal spiritual pressure and then raises it a tad bit higher so it's just past Kyouga's Riatsu, As Michael could feel the spiritual pressure getting closer Michael quickly shunpoed behind his hollowfied recruit and shouted out.

"Hadō 4 byakurai!"

Michael extended his blade to point at the hollowfied recruit and a large electrical surge went from Michaels hand and charged aropund his blade and launched towards the recruit in an attempt to strike him down. Michael then said.

"I was wondering when soemthing like this was going to happen! and now finnaly the time has come!"

"Hollowification, huh? Just how many Shinigami are like Tenju? Hmm~ I 'm interested to see Hollow Tenju's performance~" Kyouga said happily with a smile once he adjusted himself in the air. Kyouga wouldn't mind taking care of Tenju if he was exiled, but what would Michael think upon his decision?

As Michael vanished from hollow Tenju's sight it instinctively turned on it's heels sharply bringing up it's zanpakutou just in time to meet the hadou cutting it in half. A silver reiatsu began to swell up around the hollowfied shinigami as it cackled at the captains attack, "Kyaaaakakakakakaaaa!" It drew it's second zanpakutou and slashed through the smoke left over from the byakurai before stabbing forwards aiming for Michael's throat. The power gap between the two was still world apart however hollow Tenju's attacks were primal lunges powered by instinct and madness. There were no thoughts of difference in strength.

"Looks like im gonna have to beat the crap outa you, meh shit happends"

Michael spins out his znapaktou and then jumps up and then sends his feet to the recruits head to kick him back slightly, Mike jumps back and spins his blades about and aims one of them towards him and says.

"Hado 58. Tenran"

As he finishes saying this a large tornado twists out from his blade, Michael spins his blade around controling the tornado and then fires the tornado blast to the recruit. The tornado blast goes towards him rapidly in an attempt to blast him back a few feet hopefully cause damage aswell.

"Don't forget to keep him alive, Michael!" Kyouga shouted from afar with an emotionless expression, reminding Michael to not get too engaged and excited. Kyouga was getting bored by this display of Kido. "Well, I guess Kido is the best way to fight Tenju without hurting him too much..." Kyouga said to himself quietly. KYAAAA~~~ I must conduct research on him ethically!!! Kyouga inner-self cried out.

Hollow Tenju continued to laugh manically even as he was kicked in the face being sent stumbling backwards a few feet giving Michael enough time to complete his hadou. His laughter was finally halted as he was sent flying by the tornado slamming him into a building across the park and burying him beneath the rubble. Dust and debris covered up Tenju's body as the reiatsu subsided and things got silent for a passing moment. However after a few seconds the twisted hollow-infected reiatsu sky rocketed once more as hollow Tenju burst from the rubble with the mask now half way complete. There were bruises and cuts all over his body however they didn't seem to bother the possessed shinigami as he suddenly took off towards Michael cackling loudly as it lunged forwards for another primal slash at his chest.

Michael saw the hollowfied recruit charging at him, Michael Lunged himself towards the hollowfied recruit while sheathing his zanpaktou's and purposly allowed the recruits blades to pierced Michael's chest. Michael squinted as the blades were now stuck in Michael's chest and Michael was now falling back with the recruit falling rapidly towards the ground. Michael grabed the recruits neck tightly and said.

"Remember who you are Recruit! Know you're place!... Hado 63. Raikōhō "

With that a large burts of electricty bursted from Michael's hand and was sent towards the recruits neck and began to orbit the recruits body electrocuting him heavily aswell as electrocuting Michael due to the metalic blades pierced into Michael. They both crashed down heavily to the floor cracking the floor heavily and creating a large hole in the floor.