Duty (Invite)

"Come sit with me beside the fire,
We'll watch the flames as they grow higher
But when the flames fade and die,
There'll just be darkness, and you and I."

The voice floated softly from the roof of a building, the singer sitting in the centre on a chair that had been left out by the tenants of the rooms below. Washing whipped around on their line, the streets below bustling around and the smell of city fumes rising up.

"So I'll tell my tale as fast as I can,
I don't want to be left here, with that man.
What man?
The man they call spring heeled Jack,
With the flowing cape and eyes jet black.
Ten feet tall I've heard them say,
He prowls the streets, just looking for prey."

On prey he stood, and resumed his patrol across the rooftops, seemingly walking to the edge and in a blur of movement, he appeared on the roof across from him. His black kimono floating behind him gently on the wind and his red hair ruffled, slightly windswept by the sudden movement. He strolled up to the edge of the building and watched the scene in the distance going on.

"Over his shoulder he carries a sack,
And everyone fears old spring heeled Jack
What sack ?
Well! in this sack is a pair of shoes,
You must have read about him in the news ?
No? well the shoes are fitted with shiny springs,
He can jump over houses, and almost anything."

His voice had slowed to a absent murmur, more focused on the battle between quincy and hollow that was going on below. Well, battle was stretching it. Looked more like the quincy was torturing the beast. As the killing blow was made and the quincy settled to the floor, the man stepped off the roof. He fell the many stories, seeming to slide on an invisible slope at the bottom and landing crouched. Straightening up, and walking forwards. He knew his spiritual control would have been nothing compared to the quincy, his position flatlined as soon as the battle was over, showing his control.

"And when the kids are asleep in bed
He jumps up onto the window ledge.
And peering through, he taps with his hook!
With his jet black eyes, he just stares and looks.
What hook ?
The hook that he uses to grab his prey,
Slams them in his sack and steals them away."

Moving towards the shrine where they had been fighting, he walked arrogantly up the path towards the shrine area, he did not know exactly where the quincy was. But his guard was raised, just because the quincy had looked tired, does not mean he was. Brushing his hip where a quincy had speared his side before when he was careless.

"But if your curtains are shut real tight,
This might help too block his sight.
So remember this, and all that I've said,
And when you're tucked up snug in bed,
If you hear the tapping on your window pane,
it's probably just the sound of halloween rain."

He drew to a stop a few meters from where he had sensed the quincy, not wanting to give him the range to attack. Though at this point, he would not know where he was until he showed himself. So flashing out his reiatsu, he waited to be attacked, or wondering whether he had missed the personified threat to the balance of the spirit world.

As soon as the quincy spoke, he walked around the corner to the source, a man he recognised from a distant memory in some warehouse. Or maybe that was someone else. All quincies looked the same to him, all self righteous, arrogant bastards with a stick up their ass and an arrogance afforded only to those who think they have tricked the Soul Society. But back to the current situation, it had not really occurred to him to save the hollow, there were millions of hollow, one that was in the public dead was not really going to throw the world out of order. He restrained himself from pointing out that if the quincies had stepped aside when the Shinigami asked, they would not be there to kill the souls, and to blame the shinigami from not saving the souls from the quincies. "I appreciated what you did. But you know as well as I do that I cannot let you walk away again." He was like...80% sure he had met this guy before.

He let his kimono slip off of his shoulders, freeing his arms and drawing his sword, he held it low and waited for the quincy to move. He would not throw the first punch, but he would not let him walk away if he tried. Just because he was squad 11 did not mean he was bound to a fair fight, stabbing in the back was no where near the top 10 worst things he had done.

For the first time in years, the smile on the mans face was genuine. He shook his head slowly, "If only I could say it was something as political as that. Part of my duty. Only doing this to stop you slaughtering more spirits. But it shames me to have a real reason so petty, it is quite simple really. I am Yorishou Kiyoshi of the 11th division and if my squad mates find out I saw a quincy and did not at least try to kick your ass, I will never hear the end of it" It was as he said, a petty reason to fight. And he hated to fight for petty reasons, but it was still a viable reason. Kind of.

When the girl came out, the quincy acted like it was a game changer. But releasing souls was a dime a dozen shinigami act, stepping over to the girl, his sword flashing out and the hilt gentling tapping her head, putting a leg between her feet and pushing straight off towards the quincy, if they were going to fight then he had no intention of giving him the advantage of range. Quincy were dangerous at range, but generally pathetic at close range, he hoped this guy was the same. When he got closer he would start with a feeble jab, goading the quincy to the fight. There was a limit to what he could do next to that tree, not wishing to get his sword stuck in the wood and losing valuable seconds. "Come and have a go if you think you're hard enough".

He should have seen that coming, 20-20 hindsight. What did he expect, that the quincy would appease his want to fight in close combat? That was stupid thinking. Cursing himself for his ignorance of obvious tactic and vowing to practice in later sessions. The first two orbs sent out smashed into the ground, kicking right up into his face and the dust getting into his eyes, none settling in his eyes or body however. That was good, it meant the dirt was not infused with anything, just a distraction. However that led to his second mistake, or, because of an already existing flaw. The quincy powers, the first two orbs and the dirt led him oblivious to the third orb.

Flying backwards with a sharp gasp of pain as it slammed into his chest and exploded. He slammed into the ground, rolling twice before getting to his feet and sliding backwards, his sword in the ground to brake. A throb of pain remained on his chest, looking down and seeing a hole to his skin through his clothes. He growled, the 11th division member awakening inside of him. He generally hated people who like fighting, but adrenaline was another thing all together. He would have no chance in the cloud of dust where the quincy could sense and pick him off, so he waited, half crouched, left hand on the floor and right hand holding his sword at head height to block an attack from the cloud. His shikai allowed for twice his normal speed but he would hold that in reserve until he knew how strong the quincy really was, so far all he had was party tricks.

He grinned as the quincy revealed his location, another orb whizzed past to where he used to be as he rushed forwards. He heard the explosion behind him, so, the quincy was trying to reply his tactics. Well if that one move is all he has then this boy was in for a world of hurt. Yorishou went straight through the first dust cloud which was starting to settle, again, none of it touching him. He stood up straight, using the inferior spirit sensing skills, but seeing he had no need to. Straight in front of him in the cloud, possibly outside of it, which seemed more likely. The quincy energy flared, a barrage of arrows piercing the dust towards him. The concentrated stream of arrows was not an original move however.

Yorishou stepped to the side, his sword morphing into a large hammer as he slung the hilt over his shoulder and slammed it straight into the incoming arrows, shattering their path with the superior reiatsu in the ability. He kept the hammer spinning, moving it down and over his shoulder again, spinning as he did so and leaping out of the cloud higher into the air, and bringing it down where the Quincy would be standing below. Spinning sideways in the air and looping the hammer around so it would hit the quincies chest from the front.

Too late to stop, too late to stop...shiiiiiiiiiiiiii- "Snap out of it moron" Hm? "Yeah, two of us in here remember. You said you would think and that is all you seem to not be doing." Gee thanks. "Think then, close range, powerful" Ok...? "Let me take the hit" What? Then I lose you. "No you don't" Oh yeah...

Swinging the hammer in front of him as the shot charged up, he released it, throwing it into the blast. The hammer shattered away as the shot hit it, sending the blade flying away. He swung to the left as the blade sliced through the air next to him, too fast to grab but that was not a problem. Yorishou side stepped the last orb, knowing it would come through the dust as it was the tactic the quincy had used mere minutes ago. Maybe he really only did know one tactic. He fell through the dust, pulling out the sword which had returned to him and striking the quincy on his arm, spinning low and the striking him on his hip but neither strike doing any damage or impact. Then flipping backwards into a low crouch, one leg outstretched and the blade held backwards in a horizontal pose.

"See" Shuttup.

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