joinmyreunion: (pic#2711362)
joinmyreunion ([personal profile] joinmyreunion) wrote in [community profile] spira_rp2012-08-02 08:27 pm

If he wants a fight, well now he's got one

The Palace felt quiet. A number of the Arrancar were out on a mission with Aizen; only the weak, or the unpredictable, had been made to stay behind, but that number had not, apparently, included Grimmjow. Kadaj and Tayuya had been left to their own devices without him and Yylfordt around.

Three days ago, they'd had a quiet conversation. Kadaj hadn't done much talking, just nodded, and then later in the day had crept into the laboratories down the wing of the Palace that Orochimaru had made his own. Kadaj used to go down there a lot, three years ago. He'd stopped just after the Arrancar arrived. He'd fallen out with Orochimaru once and for all shortly after that.

He emerged from the labs a couple of hours later, showered, and then went into the underground training facility. He didn't come up again for a couple of days, although there weren't really people around to notice, except Tayuya, who went down to check on him a few times.

He'd slept when he came back up, and then went to look for Nnoitra, one of the Arrancar who had been judged too unpredictable to head off to a freshly made Necrohol. He found him in the kitchen.

Kadaj made his way over; an unusual intent certainty in his expression, and spoke quietly. "Want to let off some steam?" His manner was all wrong to be an invitation to spar, but that was what it sounded like, at first.
snakeface: (pic#4374093)

[personal profile] snakeface 2012-08-08 10:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Orochimaru ducked and weaved with a surprising amount of grace. He was a ninja, trained in a hidden village, and he moved like one, as if this fight was more of an inconvenience than a real threat. Every step still left inky puddles and marks, something was still draining out of him, but that was the only thing that gave away any hint that Orochimaru might not be in the best of condition.

Nnoitra really did use an ugly, unwieldy weapon. It was to Orochimaru's advantage at the moment, of course, and he smirked as he evaded strikes with relative ease, knowing that it stood a chance of aggravating Nnoitra. "You're not really making an effort," he commented, "for someone who claims to wish to kill me."

In a flurry of movement he performed a hand seal and then slipped inside the range of Nnoitra's weapon, trying to strike him with the outstretched fingers of one hand. It was a technique which, if successfully applied, sealed off five of the chakra elements.

Including air, and earth. It would bring things to a neat end.
prayingmantis: Profile grin. (I am the one who blames only you.)

[personal profile] prayingmantis 2012-08-08 11:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Orochimaru's thought process was right -- it did annoy him when enemies evaded his attacks rather than hit back. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't supposed to strike too much in this battle. Playing stupid and slow was the idea. Wear him down. Don't make him break out the powerful attacks. Don't make it look like he needs to step it up.

It wasn't difficult.

Unfortunately for Orochimaru, it was just an act. He was in his element on the field of battle. He enjoyed every aspect of it, whether that involved dealing damage to the enemy or getting hurt himself. Sadistic and near-masochistic when it came to bloodshed, he knew how to fight and he did it well. Keeping himself alert was one of the things, other than a monstrous amount of strength and a relentlessly aggressive nature, that had kept him alive until now.

"Hah!" He laughed, the sound sudden and mocking. "Have you never considered that I might wanna savour this?"

He didn't miss the hand-seals that Orochimaru performed. He didn't know what they were for -- he didn't know a great deal of Jutsu -- but he knew that if Orochimaru was making them, it was going to be something debilitating. He couldn't have that.

The low static buzz of high-speed Arrancar movement sounded at the onset of that flurry of motion. He drew back a couple of steps, putting himself out of striking range. He smirked at him from a safe distance and held out his own hand. He, unlike Orochimaru, didn't need to touch him for the attack to hit its mark.

The low thrum of a bala blast filled the air.
snakeface: (pic#4374104)

[personal profile] snakeface 2012-08-08 11:53 pm (UTC)(link)
A quick harrumph of irritation was Orochimaru's only reaction as Nnoitra darted away. Sonido was a mild vexation at worst, however.

He avoided the bala blast deftly. It came from a distance, and he'd seen Nnoitra move to use it, which made it significantly easier. He had to admit, it was a useful little technique for someone who hadn't been disciplined enough to learn ninja skills.

A check on Kadaj's position revealed the boy had finished with the snakes, too, and was already on his way to occupy the opening left by Nnoitra.

How intriguing. There was some degree of teamwork nearly at play. He readied himself to avoid the incoming sword, and land the prepared seal on Kadaj instead.
prayingmantis: Default. (Pissed off)

[personal profile] prayingmantis 2012-08-09 04:53 pm (UTC)(link)
"Yeah," Nnoitra replied, looking at him out of the corner of his eye.

Kadaj's initial attack was certainly having an effect on Orochimaru. His speed was decreasing, even if his accuracy and tenacity remained unaffected. Even so, Nnoitra knew that he couldn't get complacent. Even half immobilised Orochimaru would be a formidable opponent and he was nowhere near that point yet. Nevertheless...

"My turn," he growled, keeping his voice low.

He moved in, augmenting his speed to give him an edge, and swung his weapon at him.
snakeface: (pic#4374099)

[personal profile] snakeface 2012-08-09 08:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Orochimaru moved, but too slowly to get away. As Nnoitra struck, Santa Teresa made contact....

There was a small cloud of smoke as it was revealed to be nothing more than a small log, which bore an explosive tag which activated as soon as it was revealed.

The substitution jutsu was an extremely basic technique, but effective. As the tag exploded, Orochimaru took the opportunity to attack unseen, extending his neck and snaking in to land a bite on Nnoitra.

Ordinarily, such a technique would allow him to place a seal on the victim, but he ran into a snag when he couldn't pierce Nnoitra's skin.

Arrancar hide, he thought. Only one thing would get through that.

He retreated quickly.
prayingmantis: Default. (Battle - Bleeding)

[personal profile] prayingmantis 2012-08-09 09:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Nnoitra's eye went wider when he realised what Orochimaru had done. In his shock he didn't have time to locate his real position before he felt his mouth touch his skin.

Cold fury flooded through him as a wave of nausea made his stomach lurch. It almost completely destroyed the relative calm and concentration that he was using towards the intended outcome of the battle. Years of hatred, resentment and the desire for revenge hit him at once with the resurgence of memories he'd hoped to forget. He snarled wordlessly, swinging for him with his usual unrestrained speed as Orochimaru retreated.

He swore as he evaded the attack.

Nnoitra didn't move as Kadaj swept in after him to take advantage of the opening he'd left. Instead he stood there, almost doubled over and panting, his teeth gritted and his weapon clutched so tightly in his hands that his knuckles were white. He had to struggle to come to his senses and not give in to the anger. That's what he wanted.

Bastard.
snakeface: (pic#4374096)

[personal profile] snakeface 2012-08-09 09:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Orochimaru didn't waste any time. With Kadaj backed off, he used a jutsu, and opened his mouth.

A sword came up, and Orochimaru reached in and took it, removing it completely. Kusanagi would make short work of even Nnoitra's defences. A sword wasn't his preferred method of battle, ordinarily, but it was a useful thing to have.
prayingmantis: Battle: Don't underestimate me. (...and rip you apart.)

[personal profile] prayingmantis 2012-08-09 10:52 pm (UTC)(link)
"Like hell did he," Nnoitra spat, revulsion evident in his voice.

There was no way that Orochimaru's teeth would have been able to penetrate his skin. It wasn't compared to iron for nothing. He took a few deep breaths to compose himself after that bout of unpleasantness and kept his eye on Orochimaru. He struggled to resist the urge to wipe where Orochimaru had tried to bite him.

In the seconds they had spent on their exchange, Nnoitra saw Orochimaru perform his jutsu and regurgitate a sword. He didn't know what the sword was. He'd never seen him perform that and draw it before. The only thought he had was that it was a good thing if it kept Orochimaru at a blade's distance from them.
snakeface: (pic#4374104)

[personal profile] snakeface 2012-08-10 09:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Orochimaru huffed slightly as Kadaj came at him again. The brat really was determined to get his point across, in both the literal and the figurative sense.

He parried Kadaj's attempt, and quirked an eyebrow at the fact he'd used sparkstrike. "Using your intelligence," he commented, "it's about time." He swung as Kadaj pulled back again, but failed to make contact. He always had been a speedy little thing.