Sorahana Satoru sat motionless in the centre of the courtyard, his sword laid by his left side, eyes closed as he concentrated, trying to visualise the set of actions he was about to spring into.

Lined up along the wall Satoru was facing were five kidou targets, all evenly spaced and identical in size. Spread out at random points around the area were five practice dummies, standing at six feet tall, with mock swords held in basic guard stances, all of which were facing towards Satoru, still sat motionless and cross legged, but who had now opened his deep brown eyes. Standing slowly and smoothly, he reached down and picked his blade up from where it lay, the red sheath glinting in the sunlight, the snowy white hilt perfect and unsullied as always, seeming to repel dust and dirt.

In a practiced movement, he slid the whole sword through his obi sash, and held it at the lip of the scabbard with his left hand; his right held relaxed, hanging in a neutral position by his leg. Taking a steady breath in, and exhaling slowly, Satoru raised a finger and pointed it towards the nearest practice dummy.

“Bakudou no niijuuroku. Kyakko!”

The dummy shimmered for a moment, and then disappeared, as Satoru leapt towards the second target in his sequence. Dancing lightly on his toes, his zanpakutou flashed out with all the speed and power of a lightning bolt, decapitating the dummy in one motion. Moving onwards towards the next one without hesitation, he jumped high into the air, his sword held extended in his right hand, his left motioning towards the far left of the kidou targets. A bolt of white power shot from his finger as he spoke the incantation calmly. “Hadou no yon. Byakurai!” Without looking to see if he had struck true, Satoru landed in a roll, coming up parallel with his third target.

In a streak of shining steel, his blade cut easily through the body, and as he turned, it struck out again, a mind of its own seeming to possess it as it mutilated the dummy’s back. Spinning to face the last of the four, he threw his hand out, palm facing forwards. “Bakudou no sanjuu. Shitotsu sansen!” Three wedges of yellow energy shot towards his target, pinning it against the far wall of the courtyard. Even as it hit the wall, Satoru was there, his shunpo landing him directly in front of it, and his zanpakutou extending in a thrust.

As he withdrew his blade, his finger lifted once more to point into what seemed like thin air. “Hadou no yon. Byakurai.” There was a brief flash of light as the destructive power of Pale Lightning pierced the spell he had first cast, and as it dissipated, the charred remains of the first dummy’s head was a clear indication that his aim had been true. It was a judgement that only someone who had spent his whole life in combat could have made, remembering the position of an enemy he could not see.

He sheathed his sword and began to clear the burnt and cut props away, placing them to the side of the yard.

As he finished piling their remains, he straightened his shihakushou and made to leave, stopping still as a new voice broke the silence of the courtyard.

a short, petite blond haired girl was sitting on a low wall that surrounded the training yard, her legs swinging freely, tapping against the stone. She watched intently with her one green eye, her left eye had been taken in her human life, as the brown haired man preformed a perfect array of attacks on the dummies, finishing with hado four on a dummies head as it fell from the sky. His speed and precision, and perfect form told allot about him, although Lilia wasn't that good at reading people.

When the man was finished, he began to clean up, but failed to notice her sitting there, so as he moved to leave, she called out. "That was an impressive display." She said. "I'm sure the dummies feel stupid for crossing you." She said slightly teasing him. The 5'3" girl gracefully jumped from the wall and crossed the training field.

She was suppressing her reiatsu, something captain bliss had told her to practice, so this man would not be able to gauge her power level. For all he knew, she was also an academy student, rather than the vice captain of squad 2. She did however let a little reiatsu leak, so that he would not think she was suppressing it. She wasn't sure why she was playing this little ruse, but that was her nature.

"Hi, i'm Lilia." She said happily. Lilia was a very friendly, charismatic person, used to interacting with people. So to her there was no such thing as a first meeting. She treated everyone as if she knew them already, in social situations atleast. "Whats your name?" I wonder, would you like to train? Maybe I could learn something from you."

The gently teasing voice carried easily across the still courtyard, and Satoru turned to face the speaker.

"That was an impressive display. I'm sure the dummies feel stupid for crossing you." The small blonde girl sat on a wall that surrounded the area, and as he turned to face her, she jumped off and moved towards him. He smiled easily, accepting the jibe in good humour, the skin around his kind eyes crinkling, and his mouth splitting in a wide grin. “Well thank you very much – I thought they needed to be taught a lesson.”

He took in her pretty face and long blond hair, deciding to ignore the fact that she seemed to only have one eye, the other, if it was there at all, hidden behind her fringe and bandana. She seemed young to him – he wasn’t great at determining age, because everyone seemed to develop differently. He himself was over fifteen hundred years old, but appeared very young, perhaps a result of the excellent quality of life he led as a noble.

The amount of reiatsu he could sense from her was quite low, implying that she was only a student, or perhaps a low ranking Shinigami in one of the thirteen divisions. But no matter; it was of no consequence to him whether she was more or less powerful than he was. She seemed like a nice girl, and very friendly.

“Hi, I’m Lilia. What’s your name? I wonder, would you like to train? Maybe I could learn something from you.” Lilia stood in front of him, looking so short from his perspective that he had to bend quite low to take her hand and bring it to his lips, brushing it lightly in a gentle kiss. Ever the gentleman. “I am pleased to meet you Lilia. My name is Satoru.” He smiled again, gesturing around the yard. “I seem to have run out of dummies to train on, so I would be happy to spar with you. I’m sure I will learn something as well.”

He backed slowly away from her, winking as he placed his right hand casually on the white hilt of his sword, and speaking again in the same teasing tone she had used earlier. “Just go easy on me, alright?”

Lilia blushed a little as the man took her hand in his and kissed it, something that had happened repeatedly in the last few days, but she still wasn't used to it. He was so much taller than her that he needed to bend quite low. And she had though Jensen was tall. The man released her hand and introduced himself. "Satoru. I'll remember that." she replied. As he backed up with a wink. He placed a hand on the hilt of his sword and asked her to go easy on him. She smiled back. She though. Quick question, Lilia. Why are you deceiving him? Ignis asked. Its a test. I'm curious to see if he would fit in squad 2. Ignis didn't have much to say to that.

Lilia stepped back so there was a bit of space between the two, then drew her dual wakizashi. She smiled before moving to attack shunpoing at half her speed to the left of satoru. She slashed at his arm with the left blade and thrust the right down at his calf. She didn't attack to fast, but enough to keep him on his toes. when she was done she shunpo'd back and said," Hado#4 Byakurai," firing her own blast of pale lighting form the tip of her extended finger.

"I'm curious, Satoru, do you know your Zanpakuto's name?" Lilia asked as she prepare for his own attack.

Satoru drew his sword as Lilia smiled, her twin blades flashing in the sunlight, and held it down by his right side ready to intercept as Lilia moved in on the attack. As she shunpo'd to his left, he followed her speed, noticing that she seemed to be deliberately slowing herself down.

Strange. Why should she feel the need to hold back? She must be more proficient than I thought...

He dodged the thrust to his calf by stepping back with his left foot, turning through ninety degrees to the left as he did so, so that he now faced Lilia. As he turned, he brought his sword anti-clockwise round his body in a circular motion so that it parried her slash and came around his head into a diagonal cut of his own.

The cut was a wasted effort however, as it whistled through thin air. He glanced back towards where she stood, lifting a hand to fire a spell at him. He spoke as she did, his voice mixing with hers in the otherwise quiet yard. "Bakudō no sanjūkyū . Enkōsen!"

A shield appeared on his arm as he raised it up to deflect the bolt of pale lightning that she fired at him, and as it struck, she spoke. "I'm curious, Satoru, do you know your Zanpakutō's name?" He shunpo'd to her left side after she asked her question. Thrusting his zanpakutō across the front of his own body at her left flank, he then stepped forwards with his left leg, and turned through half a circle to his right, stepping backwards with his right leg as he completed it and cutting horizontally from left to right.

"I have not yet managed to hear his name." He replied as he returned his sword to a ready position, waiting for her next move. "I am close however, I know that. I take it you know your's?"

Satoru dodged her attack with ease, meaning she was holding back to much. As she asked her question he brought his blade up and in a horizontal attack slashed for her attack. Lilia crossed her swords and caught the attack then stepped back and redirected the attack. She wasn't used to blocking, she preferred to dodge, and the swords slipped, resulting in her hand being nicked by his blade. Lilia smiled and ignored the cut, and also his question.

Shunpoing behind him, she slashed upwards with her left blade, will bringing the right across, finishing with a spin and slashing in the same direction with both weapons. Lilia used shunpo to move away before he could attack her and then back in to his left, aiming high at his chest with a kick. She three up her own guard and prepared for a return attack.

As he came back to his stance, he saw her disappear, and instinctively took a step forwards, hearing her swords whistle through the air behind him, dangerously close to slicing deep into his back. In fact, he felt a little tug on the rear of his shihakushô as it was cut open slightly. Feeling the breeze start to tickle his back, he knew how close he had been to a serious injury, and thanked his relexes, honed by more than a millenium of combat.

He started to turn to the right, raising his sword to strike back, but she reappeared just to his left, and delivered a powerful kick to his chest, knocking him backwards, and leaving a winded feeling as the air was driven from his lungs.

Damn... What strength! He raised his left hand, and directed his palm at her, speaking as he did so.

"Bakudou no yon. Hainawa!" The energy rope sped from his hand, aiming to bind her arms, as his shunpo carried him to her, and his sword flashed downwards, trying to find a hole in her defence.

If I can distract her, catch her off guard, perhaps I can pull off a small victory - but I can't take many more hits like that one...

The kick Lilia delivered sent her opponant backwarks. It looked like she had hurt him and she frowned. She was being to hard on him. She wanted to say sorry, but she wasn't sure whether or not he'd be annoyed by that. He looked like a proud man, and it might insult him. Then again, she could be wrong. However she didn't have much time to do anything as he He used a bakuda to tie her hands together. Lilia jumped away, pretending to be trapped. Although he had great potential, at his current level the rope would be nothing to her. However, she was acting weak, and breaking free would give her away.

She recalled a story Jensen told her, of his first fight in the acadamy. he was caught in one of these bakuda and had continued the fight by shouldering his opponant and kicking him, then escaping the bonds. Lilia tried to follow the warriors example. She dropped her weapons and charged at Satoru in an attempt to drive her shoulder into his chest. However Lilia was not very good at such attacks and if she missed, she'd be forced to break the rope and roll out of the fall, and also giver herself away.

As Satoru came in with his fresh attack, Lilia jumped away, trapped by the spell he had used, but still mobile. He relaxed slightly, knowing that without the use of her arms, she would be little threat. Watching her carefully, he switched his sword to his left hand so that with the next attack, she would be put off by his change in style. Equally proficient with both hands, he often used this tactic to throw off his opponents and gain an advantage, however momentary.

As he watched, she dropped both her swords, and charged towards him, her aim to shoulder him transparent as could be. It was a curious tactic, but obviously one that she had heard from someone that had used it previously. She did not seem to realise that it was destined for failure. She was tiny, short and light, where he was tall. Having faced many more dangerous situations before, he was confident in his defence.

Moving his sword out of the way, he took a low stance as Lilia charged towards him. Timing it to perfection, he stepped forwards and to the right, sweeping his left leg through Lilia's path, aiming to trip her on the way past. As he finished, he moved further away, and prepared for her next charge.

I suppose I could use Kyakko to hide her own swords from her, but that would make for a very dull fight...

Lilia's attack missed completely. Well no surprise there. She smiled amused by her silly idea. Jensen was 5'11, and a veteran warrior after all, as was this man, it seemed. She broke the bonds and rolled across the arena floor and onto her feet. She spun round and bowed low, releasing her spiritual energy. "I have decieved you, sir." She said laughing sweetly. "But i wonderer, can you guess who i am? I'll give you a hint." She shunpo'd at full speed, reappearing being him with her swords in hand. It was possible she was the fastest of the vice captains, speed being her greatest strength.

"Well if you haven't guessed, I'll reintroduce myself." She said. "I'm Lilia waters Vice captain of squad 2." She waited for his reaction and then smiled. "I'll hold back until you can keep up."

Lilia stood perfectly still infront of him, closing her one eye. Most people wouldn't know, but because of her missing eye, Lilia stopped relying on sight as much for tracking foes. Instead she used her ability to sense and her good hearing to keep tabs, although both of these things had drawbacks, such as meeting an organisation leader in bankai not holding back their reiatsu. It helped to be able to see their attacks, and large objects, so in an actual fight she wouldn't close her eye. But here they were in an open field, and it was quiet. plus it would give him an advantage that would even things out.

"When your ready, attack me."

Satoru's eyes widened in surprise as Lilia broke the spell as if it were nothing, realising almost at once that she was not what she appeared to be. He ran a hand through his hair as she stood, laughing, and admitted her deception. "I wonder, can you guess who I am? I'll give you a hint." He blinked. She had simply vanished. There was no chance of him following her speed, for it was undoubtedly a shunpo that she had employed.

Damn... Faster than I can follow? No. Faster than most people could follow, let alone an academy student. She must be an expert, then.

"Well if you haven't guessed, I'll reintroduce myself." She said, her voice coming from behind him. "I'm Lilia Waters, Vice-Captain of squad 2." He turned slowly, his sword held loosely in his hand, and took in the sight before him, her standing there, a new authority in her posture, even if it was simply imagined. She had even managed to fetch her swords in the split second in which she had moved. "I'll hold back until you can keep up."

She stood there, and as he took a step back to open up some more distance, she closed her one good eye, leaving her totally blind. However, at her level, he knew her hearing and senses would be a reasonable replacement for her sight. He noted her relaxed attitude and confidence, and knew that this would be a good challenge.

"When you're ready, attack me." She said, and he was only too happy to oblige. Jumping upwards and forwards, he brought his sword downwards in a vertical slash, which, if it connected, would cut her from head to waist.

She felt him move, and heard the foot steps as he came right at her. Lilia used shunpo to move to his left, and avoid the attack. She slashed at his side, only useing half power before shunpoing away. "I'll give you an objective, satoru. Force me to open my eyes." Lilia always avoided saying eye as it reminded her of her past. She didn't dwell on it much because most people were kind enough not to point it out or ask.

She moved before he could attack though, and slashed lightly at his side as she passed with her right blade. keeping her left in a defensive position she paced around he, only being able to track him by his reiatsu, or once he moved the sound. He didn't seem inclined to attack so she lashed out with he Zan, aiming a diagonal cut from low to high.

"I wonder, will you learn you zanpakuto's name soon? Because Ignis is itching to get out and fight you properly." She said. She moved in for a feint and then threw another kick, aimed low.

Satoru was unable to follow her full speed shunpo, but as she appeared in his peripheral vision he reacted with the speed of a seasoned warrior, managing to twist his body slightly so that her attack didn’t damage him as much as she could. Even so, he felt a sharp pain as her sword cut through his side. Even as he came to return her strike, she had vanished, moving away from him. He glanced around, finding her where she now stood.

“I’ll give you an objective, Satoru.” She said. “Force me to open my eyes.” Satoru noted the manner in which she had avoided acknowledging her disfigurement, and instantly a surge of pity swelled up inside him. “I will try, Lilia. Hopefully, I will succeed.”

As he began to plan his next attack, she launched her own assault, slashing at his side with her right blade, which he deflected easily. He kept an eye on her as she moved around him, disinclined to move too much and inform her of his actions. She made another attempt to cut him, which he also parried.

Lilia paused, speaking again. "I wonder, will you learn your zanpakutô’s name soon? Because Ignis is itching to get out and fight you properly." She moved in for a feint and then threw another kick, aimed low, and he flicked his sword downwards into the path of her leg, having swung his sword in a wide arc to defend against her feint.

As he held his sword ready to defend the kick, he lashed out with his own foot, aiming at her other knee, which was holding her balanced in the kick.

Answering her question, he replied in his soft, confident voice. “I doubt I will, but we shall see, shall we not? It depends, I suppose, on how intense our session is.”

((OOC: My character learns Shikai in 12 posts - so depending on my RP involvement, it'll be 6 more posts max in here.))

(ooc you need 25 so you can probably get that for the next post. )

Satoru dodged or blocked her attacks, which she was impressed by. He was well able to stand up to her, although he may never match her speed. he blocked her kick, and threw his own kick back, which she dodged by rolling into a cartwheel over his leg and behind him. When he answered her question she smiled.

"Maybe you'll surprise yourself. Just concentrate, and speak to your zanpakuto. If your ready, I'm sure you'll get a reply." She said. She waited for him to do so, and remembered back to the first time she had heard Ignis. She had been training in a similar fashion, although her partner had been allot less friendly. He had attacked her without pause, pushing her back and beating her down. It was only after Lilia had started to give up, when Ignis spoke, and encouraged her to fight on, although her zanpakuto was less than nice about it. Lilia smiled at the momory and looked back at Satoru.

"Well, any luck? we can always try the more violent approach." She said, crossing her blades.

((OOC: It's not 25 in character posts then?))

As she dodged behind her, he blinked in surprise - her reactions were far superior to the level he had assumed.

"Maybe you'll surprise yourself." She said from behind him, and he turned to face her, taking a step backwards to open up some space. "Just concentrate, and speak to your zanpakuto. If your ready, I'm sure you'll get a reply." He frowned, and held his shining blade in front of his eyes, pointing towards the sky. Running his gaze along it's length, from hilt to tip, he concentrated, pouring the essence of his spirit in the partner of his soul. He closed his eyes, and immediately opened them again, startled, as he heard a faint murmuring. It was far more distinct than it usually was, however he could not quite make out what it said.

"Well, any luck?" Lilia asked. "We can always try the more violent approach." She crossed her swords, and he flicked his own level to her throat, the sharp weapon poised in a lethal position. He spoke, his voice calm and level. "You are welcome to try. It would only benefit me, after all. Please, do not hold back."

With that, he thrust forwards at her throat, his sword darting forwards like a snake, swift and deadly.