The midday sun shone brightly in the cloudless sky above Seireitei, yet its rays did little to warm the souls below; winter's grasp was still firmly felt through the chill in the air. However, the uncomfortably low temperature did nothing to deter the Third Division's fifth seat from his task this day, as he strode purposefully towards the center of the shinigami's stronghold. His destination: the Onmitsukidou's headquarters.

Shigeo had been itching for a rematch with the short, mute man who had represented the secretive warriors in a match some weeks ago; though he'd suffered defeat at the agent's hands, he now felt that the rigorous training he'd put in would allow him to return the favor. The towering shinigami's pace quickened as his eagerness rose.

After a short time's travel, he slowed to a halt, frowning slightly. He had gotten directions to the Onmitsukidou's lair from a pair of Second Division members, as their division worked with the Onmi somewhat often. Shigeo now realized that, in his haste, he had left the two before getting exact directions, and now found himself standing awkwardly a short distance away from the entrance to the Central 46's grounds. Shuffling about, he looked this way and that, hoping to find someone who could point him in the right direction -- perhaps even one of those black-clad Onmitsukidou agents themselves.

The Onmitsukido was, to be frank, a many-faceted thing: while it's members were divvied up into 'Divisions' similarly to the Gotei, the simple fact was that, in the lower ranks at least, the differences between each 'division' was vague at the best, with the noticeable exception of the most private of 'divisions'. Therefore, though any given Agent could belong to, for instance, the Detention squadron, that did not necessarily mean they would never perform Reverse Counter or Patrol unit duties; in this particular instance, Kusu and his Detention Unit section had been tasked with a basic patrol duty surrounding the offices of the Central 46, not an uncommon duty.

Though the unit primarily hunted along the rooftops and skulked in shadows within the range of the building that made up their perimeter, there were a precious few whom simply stood sentry in the streets, obvious indicators that the area was under surveillance and protection by the best Soul Society had to offer. And so it was no real surprise that, when a giant of a man came excitedly charging down the streets looking almost confused before resolutely altering course for the nearest Onmitsukido member, and thus the Central 46 office, that word spread through the immediate command channels like wildire... so to speak, anyways. This was, after all, Kusu's unit, and so the individual members signaled to one another using rapid hand movements, a custom series of sigils that only other members of the unit would understand, until 'word' reached Kusu himself.

This occurred rapidly, of course; the Onmitsukido were nothing if not fast, and so by the time Shigeo had reached casual speaking distance of the most easily noticed Onmitsukido agent, two others suddenly fell to the ground at the first's side, one a short male with intense eyes glowering from behind the Onmitsukido face mask he wore, the other just an inch shorter, with rich blonde eyebrows framing his almost perfectly bland green eyes. There was recognition in their eyes, but it was muted; yes, they knew who Shigeo was, but that was secondary to the job. They had been given strict orders, and if there was one thing no Onmitsukido agent would dare do, it was defy orders. In well-synchronized timing, the three Onmitsukido raised up their right hands, palms forward, to give the giant the signal to halt. "Hold fast, sirrah. Would there happen to be a reason you so hastily rush to the Central 46 building?"

Ever the 'peacemaker', Kerai spoke loudly to Shigeo, a slightly mirthful expression etched over his eyes; he had long ago learned to speak without words, and could get basic messages across with ease, even with his face mostly hidden, and the message he attempted to pass to Shigeo was simple: we mean no offense. Simply be calm and answer the question, and the day could stay pleasant.

Kusu, contrarily, displayed no such message in either visage or bearing: he was a soldier, and a good one at that, and it was in his experience that men, especially men of Shigeo's size, required hostility to be tamed, not sugar-words. Though Kusu valued Kerai as his mouthpiece and his greatest asset in the Noble world, in the world of the Onmitsukido Kusu was the more experienced man, and he knew well as a seasoned Detention Unit Officer his fists could do so much better speaking than could any set of lips and teeth.

Shigeo tensed slightly, eyes narrowing, when two more agents abruptly came into view beside the first man he'd intended to speak with. Is this how they greet all visitors? he thought darkly, halting as the three Onmitsukidou men signalled for him to do so. The tension left his body, however, when the green-eyed man spoke, and Shigeo replied, "Yes, there is, though it is not on any business of the Gotei's, nor of the Onmitsukidou's, that I have come here -- it is purely personal." Pausing, Shigeo peered closer at the spokesman for the group before him, recognition dawning on the seated officer.

"Do I know you...? Yes, yes; you were present for the small fight between myself and your representative. Which does bring me to my point: I am seeking a rematch with that man. I came here in the hopes of finding him and asking him in person, but I...failed to get proper directions to your headquarters. Unfortunately, I also failed to catch his name before. Yours, as well...so perhaps I could ask for your names? You may be able to help me locate this warrior, as well." Shigeo raised his brows hopefully, his attention focused fully on the fair-haired agent; he did not even spare a glance to Kusu, who stood but a few feet away. Ironic.

At the mention of recognition, the blonde smiled and the trio lowered their hands again; the blonde, official speaker of the group, took a half-step forward while Kusu himself placed a hand on the shoulder of the fellow who had already been in the street; a simple signal, and one that was reacted to with a nod. "An admiral goal, to be sure. Just as well you hadn't come across our headquarters, however; they're much more testy about visitors there than we tend to be."

As the blonde spoke, the initial Onmitsukido member stepped backward before vanishing away in a Shunpo step, which would terminate on a nearby rooftop, at which point several rapid handsigns would be passed from roof to roof, giving a single message: disregard the intruder, and keep a distant eye on the area. Two sentries would be stepping out.

"As to names, well, what's in a name, really? We don't use them, not in an official capacity, anyway; after all, if you don't know their identities, you can't sell them out, correct? A few are known, to be sure; our Gundancho, and naturally the Soshireikan, to name a precious few, but among we faceless? We may as well pick and choose at random, hm?" There was a soft chuckle at that; the Blonde played his role well, a dedicated people's person, while at his side, Kusu simply glowered and observed. Yes, he was usually much more 'sociable', at least as far as he went, but the simple fact was that, unknowingly or not, the giant was toeing the line between innocent movement and a potential attack on those Kusu had been tasked with protecting, even if the actual tasking was more or less moot; security inside the Central 46 building was so damned tight, Hell Butterfly had a time of making it through unmolested.

"Ah, but where is my sense of duty? Really, one would think me so very unprofessional; please, sir, would you be so kind as to take a few steps backward? After all, we wouldn't want you to get into needless trouble over something so trivial as proximity, would we? Not when there are so many better subjects to discuss than pesky business. How did you find the exhibition, by the way? I trust you didn't regret it's rather dull nature?" Ever while speaking, Kerai took another step forward, an attempt at what he called 'social manipulation'; if while speaking in an amicable manner to another he were to step in a direction, or say guide them to move in that manner, then the person was more likely to do as much based on the fact that they were busy paying more attention to his words than his possible intentions with movement. Kusu, all the while, simply stared, waiting to see if he would be needed to help 'persuade' the giant to step out of the area.

Shigeo's eyes flicked briefly to the agent he had first approached as the man executed a shunpo; his gaze passed over Kusu briefly, and though a dim spark of recognition flashed behind his cold blue eyes, he did pause, instead returning his attentions to the fair-haired speaker. "If my inquiry into your name caused offense, I apologize," the fifth seat answered with a shrug. It was rather annoying to be snubbed, even in such a kind manner...but the man was, admittedly, quite charismatic; the taller man's irritation did not last long.

Grimacing at the polite suggestion, Shigeo obliged, moving backwards several steps. He could certainly relate with the Onmitsukidou's dedication to their duty, and admired the efficiency of their men. Briefly, the idea of donning the midnight-black garb of the organization crossed the shinigami's mind...No, he told himself firmly. Not while they are headed by a Soshireikan like the one I faced. The corners of his mouth twitching in an amused manner, he stated, "I found the exhibition quite exciting, actually. As I said, I have come seeking your representative in that particular event for a rematch, so skilled did I find him."

Perhaps this time, the talkative Onmitsukidou member would give him the information he sought, and not talk his way around the matter.

"Yes, the exhibition was quite exciting, wasn't it? We love a nice display of brutality, and that was offered up in spades." The compliment came with another hidden smile, and Kerai nodded to Shigeo before stepping forward, his hands at his sides, posing no threat: simply a leader's pose, nothing more. With the blonde Onmitsukido member at the fore, Kusu would politely - read, mistrustfully - wait for Shigeo to follow after before following as well, taking up the tail of the group.

"And don't you worry about insulting us; we've heard everything under the sun, so for somebody to figure we know one another's names is really very mild, and even natural, isn't it? No, there's no reason to be upset over something so silly; not as though we go parading the information about. Or parading at all, for that matter." Kerai chuckled as he moved, guiding his followers to a nearby building: an emptied warehouse used to store provisions for the Gotei, who's contents had been emptied most recently, putting the rotation far away from this warehouse. In other words, a large, flat place with adequate illumination where two men could properly bloody one another: one of the Onmitsukido's best-known secrets.

"I have to admire your bravery, Gotei-san. The exhibition was not so long ago, surely not so long that either you or the other could have improved especially much, and yet you seek a second fight with that man, and this time without an ally on your side. If I may ask, and of course advising you not go into specifics, can you really say you've thought of some way to defeat a man who so handily dispatched of yourself and a friend? Or perhaps you seek a new stipulation match? The difficulty of those is something we surely do appreciate." Kerai's voice had dropped slightly now; it wasn't quite the jovial voice it had been outside, a slight bit more menacing, almost, though surely not to the point where Shigeo need actually fear attack just yet - it was an old trick that Shigeo would surely be aware of, a method of throwing an enemy off their game by instigating a mental war. The purpose, put bluntly, was the same as a swordsman shouting as he struck: to put the enemy off balance in an attempt to strike a chord of primal fear.

Kusu, meanwhile, simply stood behind the conversing duo, a fair distance from Shigeo, his back to the door that he'd closed behind himself; he'd wait for his signal to come, no sooner, no later.

The towering shinigami trailed after the vocal man, half-listening as he was led towards the spacious storage facility; looking about curiously at the large, open space, he couldn't help but think it an ideal arena...perhaps he would soon be facing the man he sought, after all. At the green-eyed man's query, Shigeo gave a thin smile, saying, "I would not seek another bout with the man were I not confident in my ability to defeat him, good sir." Stretching, he continued, "I desire no stipulations this time; a fight is all I ask for."

At Shigeo's declaration of desiring a match with no stipulation, the blonde nodded in thought before turning and smiling so broadly, it was visible through his eyes. "That is delightful to hear; a match with no stipulation is one we find much easier. All of that honor and pride prattle? It's all well and good for when some up-and-comer manages to get a little too well on the superior, but for on our level, there really is none of that madness."

And of course, ever ready to prove a point, Kusu's fist was already pulled back and ready; the nod had been his signal, and in response to it he had used shunpo to carry him forward, behind and so near to his enemy that an errant sneeze would have pressed the man's shirt to his back. Thus, holding his breath, Kusu had knelt down and brought his fist back, and once Kerai's sentence was ended, flashed it forward.

The punch was aimed in an angled upper-cutting manner; because of how slight the angle of a man's common standing position was, a forward blow would not do. The punch was intended to come into contact with Shigeo's left leg on the inner thigh, just lower than his groin; a blow to the femoral artery, it was said, could for a short time completely shut down the use of the struck leg. The amount of time varied by person to person and hit to hit, of course, so it was difficult at best to say how long, if at all, the effect would last, but whether or not it worked, one thing was an absolute truth: it would hurt like a son of a bitch, and Kusu hopped backward after attempting the strike, definitely preferring to not be so near his enemy when he realized what had happened.

It was the same concept as when Kusu had punched his enemy in the throat; yes, he could have kept going, but at that point, the fight would have been simply unsporting, and though Kerai and he had just made it a point to show there was little in the way of honor and pride for them, there was certainly no lack of sportsmanship.

"The first rule we teach is to always keep an eye on your enemies, Gotei-san. The second is that everybody who isn't you is an enemy." Indeed, it was a lesson hard-learned by every member of the Onmitsukido, at least in this current generation. Both could well recount the pain of having to try and defend themselves from assaults after receiving a trickster's debilitating blow; the initiation beating, they called it.

The Onmitsukido were terribly bad at original names.

The fair-haired giant quirked a brow curiously at the speaker's evidently massive grin and interesting words; before he could ask the man the meaning behind his statement, a sudden and outrageous pain flared up on his left leg, dangerously close to a spot held dear to Shigeo and indeed, any man. In any event, the blow proved as crippling as Kusu desired, forcing Shigeo to stagger to one knee with a surprised curse as the struck limb gave under him.

However, the shinigami had lived and breathed combat for much of his nigh-on two centuries of life, and wasn't one to sit and bawl like a babe when hit; even as he stumbled, he was turning to his left with the fall, his right hand already curled into a fist to slam into whoever was foolish enough to hit him from behind. As his aggressor had already been retreating following the sneak attack, it was unlikely his punch would land, but with a little luck, he might graze his unexpected foe.

As his eyes locked onto the agent who had (temporarily, thankfully; feeling was already returning to his leg, and it was throbbing quite painfully) crippled him, Shigeo realized his folly: this was the man he had faced some weeks ago. He had been in his company the entire time, and was blind to the fact...Shameful, indeed. With a grimace, the fifth seat nodded acknowledgement of the Onmitsukidou's "mouth's" words. "Good words to live by," he muttered to himself, swiftly unsheathing his zanpakutou and rising carefully to his feet -- he could fight, but only defensively for now...appropriately, he shifted his stance into a guarded state, azure eyes flashing angrily at Kusu.

Indeed, as expected, the mute was able to avoid the retaliating blow based wholly on the fact that he'd been moving simply too soon; still, when the giant made it a point to rise nearly immediately, it would be unfair of Kusu to say he wasn't impressed. While perhaps the blow hadn't been backed by everything he had, it was by no means one any man could simply shrug off: this, if anything, was a fine indicator of the caliber of opponent he had, and Kusu couldn't stop his lips from curling in a light grin - the world had only so few Kusu would be able to call a sparring partner, as he was on a delicate plateau between 'too weak' and 'too strong', and yet he had managed to find a good one regardless.

Still, as Kusu's knees bent and his center of mass lowered, he knew the time for revelry was later: for now, he was focused on the lesson at hand. Because to the Onmitsukido, every fight was a lesson, for one man or another, and he thought this time would be a good time for that lesson to be Gotei-san's. The first move would not be Kusu's, but instead Kerai's: a Shunpo as silent as the grave would carry the man the short distance from his initial point to hardly two or three feet behind Shigeo, his right side to the Gotei-member's back, as his right leg curled upward, allowing him to perform a hard side-kick to Shigeo's left thigh, high up the leg; the intention here was to again drive the man to his knee, and thus off balance, while Kusu followed through with a second Shunpo, putting him not before Shigeo, but above him.

As before, Kerai would back away whilst Kusu fell roughly a foot through the air, ideally coming down with both feet on Shigeo's chest, his legs again bending to bring his body down low before rapidly straightening, kicking off the man's chest for a spring-board effect; if all went well, this would amount to a harmed leg and a falling-sprawl for Shigeo, whilst Kusu flipped away and Kerai grinned from behind.

"Enemies, Gotei-san, not enemy. This is why the Onmitsukido are considered more 'adept' in close combat scenarios: we focus on numbers, where your Gotei will focus on the individual. This is why we hide our faces, why so rarely do we release our swords: in the Onmitsukido, no one man is above the rest, and no one identity should affect combat. Most Hollow will not think to attempt working in coordination with another, and so your Gotei is more fit to handle them: as such, your Gotei is trained to handle combined efforts. This is why the Onmitsukido is trusted with policing the Seireitei, Gotei-san, and why you must learn to fight like Onmitsukido if you intend to train with Onmitsukido."

Shigeo's focus was so intent upon what he thought of as his sole opponent that, as Kerai had planned, he did not notice the approaching blow until it was a heartbeat away from landing; a flicker of movement at the very edge of his vision, and then a powerful impact against his left leg, staggering him and sending him stumbling a step to the right. However, unlike the instance of Kusu's surprise attack, the fifth seat was now in "combat mode", so to speak, his senses sharpened, his body more ready to react. As such, even as he was moved to the side, his form blurred and vanished, the visual cues of a shunpo technique -- a sloppy one, however, given the aggrieved state of his limb, that only carried him only six meters from his foes, to the giant's right.

Now facing the pair, with Kerai on his left and Kusu his right, the shinigami frowned deeply while listening to the blonde's insights regarding the difference between their two organizations (the small speech, thankfully, allowing his limb some time to recover). The man had a point, though; what good would fighting the Onmitsukidou do if Shigeo kept treating them like every other enemy?

Rushing in at one of the agents would give the other an attack of opportunity on his flank, something Shigeo was not keen on allowing; for now, he would have to remain on the defensive and continue to watch them both, wait for some small quirk in their style to show itself...then exploit it. In the meantime, he would prepare a little surprise for them -- under his breath, his lips barely moving, he began to murmur, "Ball of air, condense and form; protect and with thorns, strike back and repulse...!"

Neither Onmitsukido attacked, or really even moved much, during Kerai's little speech; Kusu had recovered from the fall, as honestly it wasn't one much worse than what he had already been going to make, so he, too, used the time to be certain he hadn't made any drastic damages to himself and allowed his feet and legs a momentary reprieve.

Making eye contact, the two Onmitsukido silently smirked to one another as Kusu raised his right hand, his fingers contorted weirdly to Shigeo's eyes, making a known gesture to Kerai, who responded with his left hand - and thus was the plan made. From his relaxed stance, Kusu vanished from sight in silence, his deadly Shunpo carrying him just over the six meters Shigeo had moved, putting him behind and to Shigeo's left before his foot lashed out in a low sweeping kick aimed for the giant's left ankle.

Shigeo was no fool, nor was he new to combat; the looks exchanged between the two Onmitsukidou men, and the signal that Kusu performed, immediately alerted Shigeo to an impending attack. But from where? They have been doing naught but assaulting me from out of my visual range -- my sides and back -- since this began, reasoned the giant. Those signals...another flanking maneuver?


An attempt to flank, then...doubtful they'd come from the right, as it's my sword hand. Too easy to cut them down...then... As the fifth seat's mind went over these ideas in the space of a second, his body stiffened, guard raising when Kusu abruptly vanished; with a roar of triumph, Shigeo spun to his left and, in a blur of motion, brought his zanpakutou in a horizontal, descending arc towards Kusu, who had likely appeared by then to make his attack ; deductive reasoning and the agents' penchant for attacking him from behind had allowed the shinigami to approximate where the next blow may come from, and his broad, sweeping slash would surely cover any minor errors in judgment.

The turn and counterattack would not stop Kusu's attempted kick --presuming he remained in range -- though the shifting of the titanic blonde's leg would likely result in a different point of impact; still painful, likely very much so, but not as debilitating as the smaller, masked man might have hoped for. Throughout it all, Shigeo would retain and withhold his nearly-finished Kidou; he had a feeling it would be needed soon.

Indeed, Kusu had appeared where Shigeo attacked, but even as his kick, not nearly so painful as should have been expected, failed to prevent the slash incoming, the Onmitsukido Agent smirked in triumph. Yes, he was more or less cornered - his options were quite few - but this was exactly the trap that had been laid, a trap built on trust and knowledge of one another, for just as Kusu appeared at Shigeo's left, Kerai vanished and appeared in the position that, less than a heartbeat ago, would have been directly in front of Shigeo.

Though Shigeo's sword was fast, in Kerai he would find an enemy something quite unlike any he could have expected to meet before: though Kerai was not what one would call a master of combat, he had trained himself not to be as strong as Kusu, but to be considerably more skilled. Therefore, when his fist lashed forward toward Shigeo's more than exposed right side, which would be put directly before him, it did not move at the speed of an average blow: no, this was a punch that could defeat even Shunpo in speed, a punch used to stop fleeing criminals before they could actually escape.

Because of the haste put into the blow, Kerai could not make it as powerful as he'd have liked - had he had time to concentrate, he could easily have doubled the power of his fist to create a strike so powerful it would have boggled the minds of Kusu and Shigeo, but as it were, it was only a strike beholden to the natural constraints of his body. Still, a blow to the side such as that would most surely put a halt to the descent of a katana, or at least throw it off considerably, and if not, at the very least there was no telling what it would do to a Kido who's incantation sat on the breath and required careful concentration to maintain.

Shigeo's breath left his body in a loud exhale as Kerai's fist lashed out, slamming into his side. His concentration shaken, Shigeo's Kidou dissipated, and his sword's trajectory veered off-course -- enough so that Kusu was in no danger of suffering any harm. Shigeo's form flickered and vanished again, and when he reappeared several meters before the warehouse's entrance, his expression was one of cold anger.

Sheathing his zanpakutou and gingerly touching his right side (already he could tell it would bruise), Shigeo stated in a low, scornful voice, "Had I known that your lot couldn't accept an individual challenge without needing someone to help you fight, I would not have bothered coming here. I'm certain I have other duties to attend to, so if you will excuse me..." Throwing open the doors, he stalked out, irritated at the outcome of his attempted rematch.

[exit]

As the giant sulked off, Kusu and Kerai shared a knowing smirk. "Leave it to the Gotei to cower from a challenge." Kusu murmured, earning a snicker from Kerai, before the both took a seat to calm themselves, meditating in place and giving Shigeo time to leave the area before they, too, left to resume their duties.

[Exit]