Swinging For The Fences [Kevin/Closed]

Taking a few days off to rest had been a wise move. It gave her time to heal, yes, but more importantly it had given her time to think. What if the Quincy wasn't cooperative? What if the Quincy she located was the same woman from before? What if she was captured?

I don't think that this is a good idea.

It has to be done by someone. Who better?

Perhaps someone more level headed.

I can be level headed.

She had snacked on a few strawberries before making the journey. That always calmed her down. Besides, this wasn't about picking a fight. This was about protecting people. It had a working as long as things did not devolve into a fight. Even then, provided she was stronger than her opponent, she might be able to keep things together.

If it is her then I think I can make amends.

Yes. Apologizing for the atrocities of the past is certainly going to go over well.

The wolf stopped in her tracks. She'd picked up a scent. Human. Human but not quite Human. It might be a Quincy, or it could be one of those other unusual Humans. It was worth taking a look regardless, but she really didn't want to spend all night looking for one.

It was lucky for her that this Human she tracked had decided to visit the now destroyed baseball stadium. Not that she knew what it actually was. It did have an appearance akin to an arena, although it was certainly larger than any arena she had seen. Funny how she missed such a large structure, but then focusing entirely upon one's work did that to a person.

I should try experiencing a day or two as a Human. Maybe I can set something up with Reika and Azalea.

Shouldn't you be focusing upon the task at hand?

She was focused. But at the same time she was trying to keep herself relaxed, trying to cast her thoughts to other things. This was dangerous. It could start a war if she wasn't careful. Were they at war? That too was possible.

There were no attempts made to hide her presence. Wooden sandals clacked softly against concrete floors and echoed off the cracked walls of a tunnel. Emerging from a dugout the Shinigami hopped over the railing and touched down upon sand. A man stood alone within the field.

Not her. Good.

"Hello" Yuki called out, approaching slowly. Her blade remained within its sheathe and her hands remained at her sides. There would be no mistakes this time. Yuki was here with a purpose.

I can do this. I must do this!

The Quincy meetup had been fruitful, Kevin thought. Lots of new contacts was a good thing, and they had something of a plan in place to rescue Aine’s cousin. They just needed a few more pieces to the puzzle and they’d be ready to go.

Perhaps this was what had led him to the ruined Karakura baseball stadium at night. He’d spent a good chunk of the day working with the recovery crews and, after they went home for the night, he volunteered to stay behind and put in a little extra work. They had, of course, thrown his ass out, but that kind of nonsense wasn’t going to stop a Quincy!

He’d let Meridith know where he was going, with his location services turned on and intermittent Face Time checkins, but it wasn’t like their usual nights out hunting. Kevin needed to perfect his form if they were going to be going to the weird feudal ghost Japan the Shinigami called home, and what better place than under the freshly repaired night lights of an actual ballpark?

Working from the mound and aiming at a pitching net he had set up behind home plate, his routine was interrupted by a voice coming from somewhere behind him. Spinning around and expecting it to be one of the Quincy from the meeting, Kevin did a double take as he saw the wolf girl that Meridith had been fighting. This girl was the reason his new friend had mobilized the Quincy, and he didn’t know whether he should be angry she was back around, happy that she’d actually managed to survive, or scared that she was going to pull the same nonsense Zenji did.

”Well shit,” he called back to her, settling on a healthy blend of the three options as he tightened his grip on his mitt. He wasn’t about to let her take him by surprise, but the other Quincy had reported that the Shinigami they’d seen had come with messages. Perhaps the pup wasn’t going to start shooting lightning bolts and fireballs at him. ”I didn’t expect to see you again. How’s it going, Shinigami?” he asked, legitimately curious how she’d managed to heal up after her confrontation with Meridith.

Again?

The wolf's head tilted just a little bit to the right as she scoured her memories for the man's face. Nothing seemed to come up. Perhaps he had seen her while she was out hunting. Unless?

"I must apologize. I do not recognize your face."

It was pretty easy to recognize her. Her curse made certain of that! Also yes she was pretty short. The red eyes didn't help. Well. Eye. That too. She really was an oddball, wasn't she?

Once Yuki was within a proper distance for speaking, one where she wouldn't need to shout, she finally came to a stop. Too close and she might make the man nervous, at least if he was a Quincy. That still wasn't certain. He had recognized her as a Shinigami, but then so too did Raphael when they first met.

I wonder how he is doing.

Focus.

"Could you be the one who rescued me from that woman? If so I owe you a debt of gratitude" she began, lowering her head forward in a slight bow. "I am Yuki Kameko. Hello. It is nice to meet you. Assuming you are a Quincy, I have come to ask you some important questions."

Ah. Yes. He had inquired about her health, hadn't he? Or at least her day. "As for your question, my day is going well, I think. Thank you."

Kevin’s concern grew as the Shinigami approached, very aware of what they could do at a moment’s notice. Still, this one wasn’t bellowing curses and threatening him with death, an improvement worth respecting. He wasn’t about to step down from where he was standing unless he had to, anyway. Kevin always hated having to give up the mound, and this was no exception.

”Kevin DuBrow, pleased to meet you properly. Assuming I’m a Quincy, I might have some answers for you. Also, assuming I’m a Quincy, that’s not my Quincy clan name, so please don’t go off assassinating random DuBrows thinking you’re killing Quincy,” he replied back with a little bit of cheekiness in his tone as he assessed the woman in front of him. She was tiny, that much he had noticed before, but there was a strength to her that he hadn’t noticed when he was hauling her unconscious body around before. He could probably take her in a fight, so long as she didn’t start shooting magic spells like the other one he’d met.

”That was me who helped you out, yeah. I didn’t much think of it as saving you from her as saving both of you from each other. You really did a number on her, too,” he said, answering her previous question honestly as he thought of how best to communicate just who it was he was talking to subtly over the Face Time connection he still had up with Meridith. The stadium was quite a distance from her hunting grounds, so he didn’t expect her to be popping up terribly soon anyway.

”It’s good to see you up and moving about, though, and I’m sure she’ll be happy to know that she didn’t kill you. She only did it because we’re not too keen on another genocide. I don’t think it was anything personal, if that means anything.” It felt odd to apologize to her on behalf of Meridith so soon after his friend had declared a refusal to hide from the Shinigami, but Kevin had seen how she’d reacted to finding the body missing when they went out to look for Yuki.

Her lips curled just a slight bit downwards. Assassinating random people? Who did he think she was? Well, then again, their history with the Quincy was not very glamorous. He could be forgiven for the mistake. They didn't really know each other either.

As it turned out this man was indeed the person who saved her. Or, at the very least, he had spared her. It was also blatantly obvious that he was a Quincy. But that was good news. Perhaps good news for both of them if things went as she'd hoped they would.

"I am no assassin. Nor did I come here seeking a fight. It may be a little early for me to expect your trust, but you should know that I do not lie."

The woman. Yes. She bowed her head once more. "Could you please pass on an apology to that woman for me? I do not understand why she attacked me. I was not there for her. I did not even know about the Quincy or of our history with them at the time. My weapon was drawn because I was hunting the Hollow she slew. However in my haste to question her I had forgotten to sheathe it. Even if she might have started the fight I might have been responsible for it."

On that note she straightened her posture once more. "That brings me to why I am here. I am hoping to avoid a second genocide. To do this I require information. For starters, what do you know of the balance between our worlds? Do you know of the differences between the Hollows, the Quincy, and the Shinigami? Have you any knowledge about what a Hollow actually is?"

More than one question for starters, yes. But they were each very important for establishing a baseline. How complicit were they in the destruction they wrought? Was Zenji correct in his assessment? Or was she correct?

Kevin watched her bowing cautiously, expecting her to reach for her sword when her head came up but continuously surprised that she seemed to be adhering to her word of not wanting to face off against him or kill his people. This was all such a stark contrast from his encounter with Zenji. It was really baffling how these supposed fascist ghosts didn’t have a cohesive vision and strategy. Did their leader not have an evil enough mustache to command their respect or something?

He nodded at the request to pass on the apology, deciding not to chime in and tell her that her apology had already been transmitted via Face Time. The fact that Meridith likely hadn’t been the one who revealed the Quincy’s existence would no doubt help her deal with her feelings of guilt, too. She was still right to act as she did, as it was the best move for their people to make, but knowing that she wasn’t at fault for needing to make that decision might help her clear her head more, especially since the words came directly from the source.

”I’m about the worst person you could ask that to,” Kevin said, letting an honest laugh through at the thought that he was knowledgeable about anything spiritual, ”I came to Quincying after I had to stop being a professional athlete. There are probably preteen Quincy out there who know more about this stuff than I do. All I really know for sure is that Hollow are out there killing people, that I’ve got the power to stop them, and that, with all due respect, you guys aren’t able to keep us safe.”

"Professional athlete?" she whispered, confused for a moment about what he meant. "Ah. You mean a warrior, yes? But you still fight Hollows." Perhaps he used to fight with a blade. That suggested that he might fight with something with a little more reach. Maybe a bow like the woman initially deployed.

He seems honorable.

For the moment.

Unfortunately Kevin did make a fair point. Sometimes the Hollows managed to slip through their patrols. And, sadly, Humans did perish for it. But they were not gone forever. Not when a Shinigami fought them.

"Our society and your society are balanced by a cycle. When a Human dies their soul lingers here on Earth. We assist those souls in passing to the other side. Our side. They are reborn within our society. Most Shinigami that you see were once Humans. When a Shinigami dies their soul passes on to be reborn in this realm. Humans become Shinigami. Shinigami become Humans."

Probably. She didn't know the exact statistics of that. But it was probably true. Then again she hadn't said that all Shinigami were once Humans, so it was probably fine.

"You are correct in asserting that we are not always successful. When a Hollow devours a Human, or when a Hollow devours a wandering spirit, those souls are absorbed into the Hollow. But they are not lost. When we slay a Hollow it is the same as our assisting wandering souls to the next life: every soul within the Hollow, including the Hollow's, passes on. You see, Hollows are Human souls."

It was an important fact. She paused to let that soak in. It didn't seem as though he would know this, but then she could be wrong. Either way, it was vitally important for the next fact.

"Most souls pass on peacefully to their next lives. Some do not. These souls often have some goal that they are trying to fulfill. They are stuck within this realm. Persistent. If we do not reach these souls in time they might fall into despair. They cannot cope with the new lives forged by the people they once knew. Perhaps they become obsessed with something. They change. They lose their hearts. They lose a piece of themselves. The holes in their chests. They become Hollows."

Within the days spent resting following her meeting with Zenji she had taken some time to properly read up on the process. It was something they learned in the academy, but it had been a long time since she'd attended those classes. If she was going to give them the truth then she would do so with the proper knowledge. It was only fair this way.

"Normally this is not an issue. When a Shinigami slays a Hollow with their zanpakuto" she began, briefly tapping a hand against her sheathed weapon "that Hollow moves on. The souls it devours move on. However Quincy weapons are different. A Quincy's weapon destroys the soul completely. A Quincy who slays a Shinigami will remove that soul from the cycle. A Quincy who slays a Hollow will remove that soul from the cycle, along with the souls of any it has devoured."

Again she paused. She didn't know how many Hollows this man had slain within his life, or how this all might affect him. Even slaying one Hollow had the potential to remove dozens of souls. Of course her eye remained focused completely upon the Quincy, studying him closely. How would he react? It would be quite telling.

"You understand the problem then, I hope. We have no issues with Humans protecting themselves. In fact I would encourage it. I would rather see our people working together to defend Humans and Shinigami alike from the threats that Hollows pose. But when a Quincy finishes the job it becomes disastrous."

They didn’t have athletes? What kind of a civilization did these Shinigami belong to that they thought that making a career out of a sport made someone a warrior? Kevin half wanted to speed up their covert infiltration just to make sure the people of their world could learn the value of sporting competition beyond pointless killing.

He put that to the side as she started to talk about the cycle. He listened patiently, trying to wrap his head around the concepts she was throwing at him. It all made sense if what she said was the truth, but her whole explanation left one critical detail out. ”That sounds all well and good, but how do you actually know this stuff?” he asked simply.

”Our people have been doing this for the last thousand years in quiet and for who knows how long before that, but the world hasn’t ended. If anything, there are billions more people alive now than there were back then. Have you ever met any of the Hollow you’ve killed just chilling around in your world or ours? What’s to say you don’t do the same thing we do and the only reason you’re saying that now is because some douchenozzle a thousand years ago decided to push a lie about us in order to stop us from making your jobs irrelevant in our world?” he asked, running down the questions he’d had ever since he was exposed to some chunks of the Shinigami ideology from his teachers.

Kevin had gotten answers to questions like that at first, but they soon stopped as his family’s teachers redoubled their efforts on getting him to understand how to work Reishi. It likely didn’t help that they had to persistently translate everything to and from English for him.

”I’m not saying we couldn’t work together,” he explained with a little shrug of his shoulders, ”This stadium would probably still be in one piece if someone had clued us in that a big ass hollow was firing lasers all over the place. I’d be happy to try and work something out that wasn’t some sort of plot to gather us all up and kill us off.”

A slight scowl came to his face as he thought of Zenji’s actions. He’d tried to warn the man about his oncoming attack and all it had done was spur him to cast even more of the weird Shinigami magic at him. ”The last one of your kind I ran into didn’t seem too keen on talking about cooperation, though. Motherfucker was all too keen to beat me on the head with his stick and try to blow up a city park because I had the audacity to stop one of those monsters from murdering any more people.”

Huh.

. . .

Yuki?

Hmm.

. . .

Are you okay?

Yes.

For a solid minute she stood in silence, gaze cast towards the ground in front of her. He had a fair point, now that she thought about it. Why hadn't she thought about it before? Could he be right? It wasn't as though they could actually tell if a soul had successfully passed on. People didn't remember their past lives. Not that Yuki knew of. There were ancient texts, sure, but they could be wrong.

"What is a dooshozzle?" she whispered to herself, mind stuck on the word for a moment while she replayed the man's reply in her head. It wasn't really important, but all of it together was. "Truth be told it is something I have been taught and it is something I have read. They were ancient texts, but your argument still holds water."

A hand reached up, pressing against her forehead. "I feel something when a Quincy slays a Hollow. Something feels off, like the world loses a piece of itself. I felt this even before I knew what a Quincy was. But I suppose it could be something else. It could be something I was imagining."

Well this certainly threw her off! But it didn't completely invalidate their worries either. "What if you are wrong?" she asked, sliding her hand away, red orb shifting up to settle once more upon the Quincy. "The Quincy used to hunt openly. Perhaps the reason why the balance remains intact is because they do this."

Ah. Zenji. He was talking about Zenji. Did Zenji really try to blow this man up? If he was the one with the woman when Yuki was on Earth then it was likely that he was the one with the woman Zenji tried to blow up. That made sense. At least something did right now.

She closed her eye, exhaling softly to calm herself down. It didn't matter too much in the grand scheme of things, did it? "Either one of us might be correct. I won't say that you are wrong. It is a valid explanation. However until we can prove it one way or another you must admit that it is better to err on the side of caution."

Hands settled upon her hips. Again her gaze returned to Kevin. "In an ideal world we would cooperate with the Quincy for as long as we remained uncertain. Provide your people with a way to contact our people. Perhaps even send our Shinigami to pair up with the Quincy. It would bolster the patrols here on Earth. The Quincy would still be able to fight, still be able to protect people, and the Shinigami would finish the job. Rogue Quincy who destroyed souls, if that is what happens, would be dealt with by Quincy. You would be self governing. I think that would be fair."

It was such a simple solution, wasn't it? Who could disagree with that? Well, actually, she could name at least one person. "There are unfortunately some Shinigami who would still see the Quincy wiped out. Yes. One of my friends is counted among them. I did not even know this until a few days ago. It is upsetting and I do not yet know how I will deal with it. I believe that he is the same one who attacked you, and for that I do apologize."

There were the leaders in charge to worry about as well. How many would be on the side of Quincy destruction? Probably most of them. Barely anyone seemed to know about the Quincy's existence at the moment, but how long would that last?

Again, Kevin listened respectfully and patiently to her reasoning. He’d never expected one of the fascist ghosts to actually agree with him, but he’d also never expected one of them to want to cooperate after what he’d heard from others. Most of them might be deluded dickbags, but this girl might just be the exception. Suddenly he was very glad he’d decided to save her.

”Well, if your friend was the guy who tried to kill me for the sin of trying to save peoples’ lives, you tell him I’d be more than happy to pick our little game up where it left off. I don’t want to kill the guy, just beat a little sense into him since that’s apparently how he likes to talk. You know, I always thought wizards were supposed to be smart, but that guy was a bigger meathead than people peg me as,” he said exasperatedly, shaking his head in frustration.

”As for what’s safest, we have our own ancient tomes here on Earth written by some pretty important dudes,” Kevin informed her with a finger point to the sky, ”and they have some strong messages about allowing the weak or vulnerable to suffer and die. By your texts, my actions could be hurting their souls, but by mine I could just as easily be sending them to a better place.”

It was irritating that they probably had no way to know for sure, but Kevin wasn’t all that keen on becoming a Shinigami science experiment. ”It’s not a bad idea, what you propose, but it could be turned on us so easily. If that friend of yours managed to weasel his way in, for example, what’s to say he wouldn’t go all Palpatine and Order 66 us?”

”Sorry, it’s a movie. It wasn’t great at the time, but it’s aged fairly well. He could betray us and have the Shinigami who we’re partnered up with suddenly kill all of us and our families when we don’t expect it,” Kevin explained. ”It’s worth looking into, but your people, especially ones like your friend, would need to change their opinions of us first. From what I’ve seen, they’ve mostly been busy trying to kill or torture us, and that’s not doing a whole lot to make my people all that eager to partner up.”

"I don't know about that. I really think he would just try to kill you. You seem like a kind person. Nor do I really want to see any pain inflicted upon him either. We are still friends."

Still, how did one deal with a situation like this? She was not betraying him by speaking with the Quincy right now. Not in her mind. This was an attempt to avoid war, an attempt to impart important knowledge upon the Quincy, knowledge which might even get them to change their ways. If she were successful this might lead to a lasting peace.

"You are right to save people. I would not hold that against any of your kind. But I must ask that you try not to slay any Hollows until we know for certain, and I must ask that you pass along the information I have given you today. Given our history with the Quincy I doubt if others will be as receptive to my words. More importantly, I ask that you seek out the ancient texts you speak of here on Earth. Perhaps they offer us more clues to this puzzle."

There he went again, using plenty of Human words she knew not the meaning of. She had heard of wizards before in passing, although she didn't know exactly what they were. Nor did she know about this Order 66, or this Palpatine. At least he ended up explaining those. She at least knew what a movie was too.

"I have not seen any of these movies you speak of, although I have heard of them. Moving pictures, if I am correct. Also I do not know what this wizard is. I must assume it is another derogatory term."

Again her arms relaxed at her sides. This experience was turning out to be more pleasant than she'd imagined it going. Kevin was easy enough to talk to once she got past all the Human terms he used. But then that wasn't really his fault. She should have experienced the world a little more freely.

"You do have a point. Someone in charge could orchestrate such an attack. I do intend upon taking power soon, although even then I am afraid it might not be enough. As such, I believe knowledge is our best tool here. By combining the knowledge of our two worlds we might be able to reach an answer and we might be able to change people's minds."

Once more her head lowered into a respectful bow. It had been worth a shot, and perhaps it might have been successful had the man not brought up a fair counter point. But she hoped this would put them on the right track. "Thank you again for answering my questions. Did you have any for me?"

He could only shrug off her assertion of affection for Zenji. He would have said the same about Meridith, and Meridith had nearly killed her, so it didn’t bother him too much that she wasn’t quick to lose faith in her friend after finding out what a jerk he had been. If she’d have turned on him at hearing that, Kevin would have doubted her sincerity, and all this was doing was making her look more believable about what she said on the other matters they were discussing.

Likewise, there was little he could do to offer her any assurances that he wouldn’t kill Hollow. If he saw someone in danger, he wasn’t going to let them die, and Hollow seemed to exclusively deal in causing people to be in danger. The image of that ugly daddy longlegs looking one killing the old man on a park bench played back in his mind, pushing a slight cringe to his lips which he quickly covered up by placing his hand against his mouth in thought.

Her calling movies ‘moving pictures’ forced him to do a double take and lose his quiet contemplation, unable to suppress the urge to quietly listen to her in respectful consideration any longer. ”How old are you?” he asked, quickly backtracking, ”That’s a very old timey way of naming them, is all. I can get not knowing that, but wizards are older than movies, aren’t they? That dude who wrote Lord of the Rings did it before movies were a thing, I think. It means someone who uses magic. Not really derogatory or anything. Believe me, If I wanted to say something derogatory about him, you’d know.”

He quieted back down with an apologetic hand motion as she talked about a possible way forward, hearing her out and bobbing his head in general agreement. ”I think we could make that work, maybe. As for passing your messages along, it might be best if you do that to my friends in person. I don’t know what your schedule looks like, but I know two ladies who would have quite a bit they would want to talk to you about. I’m not about to walk either of them into a trap, though. I’m sure you can understand, given what your friend tried to me and what some of your other comrades have done to mine. Still-“ he mused, scratching his chin in thought, ”There might be a way for me to feel better about that.”

Kevin’s feet remained still on the mound. This woman had managed to drop Meridith in a toe-to-toe battle, and Meridith had gotten the upper hand on the guy who was so set on killing him. If Yuki was truly capable of taking control of the Shinigami’s power structure, then that meant that at least Meridith could take on anyone out there. If, however, it was as she had said and Meridith had just been lucky with taking advantage of those two being unaware of her approach, they were still at a massive disadvantage. Someone needed to figure out how strong these Shinigami actually were, and this one sounded like she might be willing to stop short of the kind of violence her fellows so enjoyed.

”Tell me, how do Shinigami actually take power? Is it an exam or an interview, or do you do something else?” Kevin asked. For a people who seemed to live and die by the sword, he suspected he already knew that answer, but he needed to make sure before he asked his other favor from her. It would be completely pointless if they had a normal civil service.

"Ninety-eight years old. I know not what this Lord of the Rings thing is that you speak of. I must assume that it is a book. And I suppose by that definition he would be considered a wizard, yes."

Would she know for certain if he was using derogatory terms? She knew of some but there were potentially Human specific ones, or newer ones which had yet to catch on within their society. It might be a good idea to actually take some time off to study here on Earth. But then the second division probably already handled this sort of thing.

"I see. Yes, I do understand. If you really are worried then I would be fine with accompanying you to a location of your choice." Of course it could turn out to be an ambush, but then she was fairly confident in her own abilities should one be leveraged against her. Then again it might be troublesome if the woman from before was present.

Still, Kevin appeared to have an idea. If she could make them feel at ease then she would be all for it. Well, scratch that. She would be up for doing most things, but some things were still off limits. For example she wasn't going to give them any vital information on their society, nothing they could utilize in a potential war to gain an upper hand. Thus far his questions had been fair.

"As far as I know the most powerful Shinigami can attain the highest rank through one of three processes. A test. Recommendation from multiple leaders currently in place. Or through combat, typically a fight to the death. I won't go into any further details upon the methods for intelligence reasons. I plan on taking the third option. Might I ask why you wish to know?"

Of course she had left out a few things. Organizational specifics. Specifics of the methods, save for the most obvious one. The number of divisions. If a war was inevitable then she had to at least safeguard these sorts of things. But she had not lied to him either and he seemed like the sort of person who would understand her reasons for omitting certain information.

Kevin didn’t know what to make of her age, biting back a question about if the number she gave was in dog years or people years. How did she get those ears and tail anyway? Were there others like her? Was she what happened with a dog didn’t go to heaven? His questions were as numerous as they were no doubt offensive, so he held his tongue lest he jeopardize the safety of the Quincy.

After nodding in response to her approval of his suggestion, he was forced to shake his head at the mention of duels to the death. Perhaps that culture was what made Zenji attack him, Kevin really didn’t know. ”This is going to sound a little odd, but I would like to see you in action. If my people are going to put our trust in you, it would be helpful to know that you’re actually going to make it in that fight,” he explained to her, squeezing down on his mitt hand slightly and stretching his fingers out.

”Plus, if I’m going to be introducing you to some of my friends, I would like to know the level of threat I’m potentially bringing in. They wouldn’t be too happy with me if I brought someone in who could drop them like a sack of potatoes, now would they?” he asked with a little smile, rolling his shoulders back and working out a kink in his neck.

He looked around the destroyed ballpark, settling on the outfield. Everywhere else would bring the danger of toppling more of the area down if they were to face off, but the most damage they could do would likely be to the already scorched grass. ”We can do it out there,” he said with a thumb to the spot he had in mind, ”If that sounds okay with you. I’m thinking we go until someone gives up. That way there’s no need to lob any heads or hands off like what happened with your friend.”

Yuki did not immediately respond to the man's request. Such a thing made her uneasy. She had come here to avoid a fight, hadn't she? And yes, perhaps she had become a little more familiar with her spirit since their last fight, but it had still been a struggle to fight off the killing intent. This man had been kind to her thus far, and he seemed to be perhaps the one Quincy who might be able to help her achieve her goals.

Of course he wanted to test her strength. That was fair. Could she defeat him? If he was as powerful as the other Quincy then it was not an assured thing. But she needed to prove to him that she had the potential to make things right, to take up a higher position within her own society. She needed to back up her promises with something tangible.

"Very well. I don't suppose you are a medic, are you?"

She turned, making her way out towards the spot she was directed to. Either one of them might need a medic by the time they were finished. But perhaps Yuki could keep herself in check. Could she defeat him without landing a solid blow? That would prove it enough without any bloodshed. It would also prove her conviction towards avoiding it.

It was only when she started towards the open green field that she noticed the construction underway. They had already started to rebuild. It didn't appear as such from the outside. He had a reason for moving them here. This place was potentially valuable to him.

Don't cause any unwarranted damage. More difficult.

In a flash of steel her blade was drawn and pointed towards the ground at her right side. The wolf pulled in a deep breath, focusing herself for the fight to come. She needed to win this. She needed to beat him without inflicting too much damage. She needed to keep herself under control.

I can do this.

With a nod of self encouragement she faced the man. "Do not hold back. I am prepared. Come."

”I’m not a medic, no, but I do know someone who can help as long as the injuries aren’t severe,” he said as he walked to his own spot in the outfield about 60 feet from her. He lacked the elevation of the mound, but he would at least have the distance right for pitching to home plate. A little smile crossed his lips as the idea of Meridith healing Yuki crossed his mind, though he suspected there was a chance she’d just as likely finish the Shinigami off if given the chance.

Pulling the cell from his pocket, he caught a blank screen back from her end. Either she was already sprinting on her way over or she’d missed the whole exchange. Ran into wolf girl again. Seems friendly, might want to meet you. At ballpark. Testing her strength. he wrote in a text, sending it before pocketing his phone.

”I gave her a heads up, just in case,” Kevin explained as he settled into a sideways pitchers stance to Yuki. The ground was more uneven than he’d like, but it would have to do. With a calming breath, he brushed his hair to the side and eyed up the Shinigami’s sword. Now this was what a showdown was supposed to look like. None of the murderous bullshit Zenji had tried to pull.

”If you’re ready, we can-“ he started, his eyes going wide with a realization, “”Oh fuck, just a sec.” Kevin held a finger up and pulled his phone back out and queued up a fresh fight song, pocketing it back with the music playing on full blast.

Spoiler:

His reiatsu surged as he got in a fighting mood, the invisible spiritual crowd feeling right at home inside of the damaged stands. As the drums set in, he called out in a booming voice, mimicking a PA announcer. "Making his way to the mound, with a seasonally adjusted ERA or 2.58. You know him, you love him, give it up for Pittsburgh’s own Kevin DuBrow!”

He gave a few mock cheers along with the crowd before gesturing at Yuki. ”And at the plate, hailing from,” he shouted with the same announcer voice wherever, pausing for a moment in thought before resuming, ”wherever it is that Shinigami hail from. Make some noise for Yuuuuuuuuuki Kaaaaaameko!”

A few more mock cheers came from him, echoing with the roaring crowd as he gave one final shoulder roll. It wouldn’t be sporting to go hard right off the bat, especially since she’d only faced off against Meridith before. With a little nod to his opponent, he drew Reishi into his pitching hand behind his glove, swirling the bright light into a palm-sized ball. As soon as it had formed, he wrapped his fingers around the swirling energy laces, kicked his leg up, and sent a two-seam fastball spinning free, its curve aimed to bring it in to Yuki’s left shoulder.

Her? Ah. I wonder if he would protect me if I lost.

This is too dangerous! He is too dangerous! If you lose to him you will die!

She was right. Losing to him might very well mean her end, regardless of how pleasant he was. But this had to be done. If she should lose then she would need to trust in his honor.

Trust is earned.

Her body tensed up. They were both ready now! Or at least she thought so. Kevin apparently had something very important to attend to! But again she was wrong. Instead he made the baffling decision to play some music. Music! Catchy music, she had to admit, but music none the less! For someone like her it would only act as a constant reminder of his position.

This man is confusing.

Kevin's power was let loose, and so she returned the favor. Wisps of black flowed gently at first from her body, only to swirl outwards in a raging torrent, stripping grass from the field surrounding her. She was going to go all out, but it wasn't going to be a normal fight for her. No, she was going to try and end this without bloodshed.

You know that is not possible.

No blood will be spilled by me.

Again she was caught off guard by the Quincy. Her expression visibly shifted into one of confusion, head tilted just a bit to her right. "ERA? What is this number? What is this Pitsborg?" Was this another Human city? An organization of some sorts? "Ah. I am from Seireitei. Who are you speaking to?"

It was distracting, just like the music. Was this a part of his fighting style? If so then it was certainly unusual. More importantly, it was effective! So wrapped up was she at the moment that Yuki nearly missed the man's wind up.

Here it comes!

An orb formed within the Quincy's hand. Bright blue, just like the bows and the sword she had faced before. He wasn't moving closer to her, so she had to assume that it was some ranged attacked. That would work for her. She had one idea on how to achieve victory here without ever landing a strike on him.

Focus.

Her blade raised in front of her, clasped within both hands. A calming breath was drawn inwards. All of her focus was placed upon the blue orb. The attack was unleashed with a questionable throwing stance, although she couldn't understate its effectiveness as the blue orb moved in a blur straight towards her center!

Focus!

A cleaving attack cut downwards even before the destructive baseball reached her! But she had a purpose. The air in front of her was disturbed, swirled together in a miniature cyclone, however it did not have the effect she'd wished to achieve. It did not cut the attack before it had reached her.

Teeth were gritted, a growl escaped from her as energy burned at her left shoulder. Her left knee dropped and with it her body. It was enough to prevent any catastrophic damage, but her robes were still scorched away in the area, her flesh sizzling and smoking from the passing attack. After taking a moment to collect herself she pushed herself back up to her feet.

Focus. I can do this.

"Again!"

”Oh shit, are you okay?” Kevin called out, more than a little concerned over the scorching damage left behind by his throw as it careened past her shoulder, twirling in and colliding with a patch of damaged earth several yards behind her. He’d thought, when she swung the sword, that she had been aiming to hit it back, but her timing was off. Still, she’d swung early. He could respect that in a batter, especially one who’d never seen the speed of a major league pitcher before. Most rookies stood there shaking in their cleats when they saw their first professional level pitch, but she had the guts to try and knock it out of the park from what the miniature tornado she’d worked up made him think.

”If you’re sure! Just a second, need to be ready in case you hit a line drive back,” he called to her over the music after she called for a second throw. He’d have to keep some extra juice behind to block with just in case she managed to connect with the next one. Forming a fresh ball in his hand, he dropped down to the ground on one knee and pushed it up into his arm, light blue energy pulsing through the surgically repaired and enhanced limb.

”Strike one,” he called out. Keeping score felt odd in a duel, but it felt even more odd not to have his pitches count when he was inside the park. Drawing in another ball from the air around him, Kevin felt the tingle as the enhanced strength behind his arm touched the orb now forming in his hand. The little crackles of spiritual lightning that flared from the condensed chunk of Reishi forming in his palm were normally barely noticeable, but there was always a strange tickle when his arm was infused.

Squaring back up, he gave her another pitch, switching his finger placement up to turn his 2-seam fastball into a cutter. She’d already proven herself capable of dodging, so he had no concerns about her ability to get away from the supercharged energy flying at her, even if it was going to take a drastic cut about halfway to her and careen into the opposite shoulder as his first throw.

It certainly did sting, but she was technically going to be okay. So she was free to answer truthfully with a nod of her head. She couldn't let a grazing hit hold her back! Nor could she focus too much on the injury that she had sustained.

Focus. That was close. It was almost there.

You don't have time to focus!

What did Watari say? Swing with a purpose.

Normally she would have questioned the Quincy about his strange terms, but not this time. No, for the moment he was in the back of her mind. She needed to establish her purpose. Rather, she needed to focus so much upon it that it manifested itself as pure power.

Purpose. Watari's is justice. Meili's is honor. What is my purpose?

To fight.

No.

To hunt!

No.

To kill!

No!

Again the blue orb was forming. Toes pressed forth, knees bent just a slight bit as her blade was raised in front of her once more. Could she hit it directly? More than likely. But that could hurt her even more if it detonated. As long as she didn't take a direct hit she could remain standing.

Focus. Purpose.

Kevin lobbed another fast pitch her way! Yuki's attention snapped to it and, with it, her blade. Another early cleave was made, and while it had the same effect the little vortex of wind created was a little longer, a little fiercer. Still, even if it had been successful she would have missed.

This attack suddenly and sharply cut into another direction entirely about halfway to her location! Her eye widened, blade snapped up on reflex with the aim of deflecting the attack, but she was a little too slow. It sailed right past her guard and tore viciously into her right shoulder, splattering blood across the field behind her as it continued on past her. The pain alone was enough to stagger her briefly.

"Again!" she growled, teeth gritting until they started to hurt.

Purpose!

Stop thinking and start fighting!

Kevin winced as the ball caught her shoulder. He’d used the cutter to end many batters’ chances at the plate, but he never thought he’d be seeing it actually hurt someone like that. The blood splatter, the torn clothes, the look of agony on her face, it was all too much. He half wanted to throw in the towel himself just to stop her from getting herself hurt.

He took one nervous step forward as she snarled back at him, causing him to stop in his tracks. She wanted more? He had to admire the grit and determination, but she was in no fit state to swing a bat, let alone a sword. Still, if he were another Shinigami in a fight to the death, he doubted she’d be planning on a pity surrender.

”If you’re sure. Two strikes,” he called out, desperately clinging to his scorekeeping to somehow make what he was doing to her okay. ”Try holding your sword sideways, Yukester. More surface area that way. It’d be easier for you to hit it if you stood sideways, too,” Kevin instructed her as he settled back into his makeshift pitchers mound.

2-0. He could afford to play around a bit with the count without risking hurting her as severely as his first two throws had done. A nice knee buckling curve was what he needed now. Forming the energy in behind his glove, he slipped his fingers underneath the seams and delivered a fierce breaking ball. He supposed she could have easily let it pass without swinging, but Kevin was starting to suspect that Yuki had never actually been familiarized with the official rules of baseball.

To be fair, normal baseballs also didn’t send shockwaves of energy flying out from behind you when they collided with the dirt on a passed ball.

More Human terms. He gave her a suggestion, a fine one at that, but it wouldn't fit with what she was trying to do right now. Still, something to try later. Also he'd given her a nickname. Wait, nicknames were something one friend gave to another. Did this make them friends? Was this method working?!

Focus. Purpose.

Purpose. She needed to figure out her purpose. Why did she fight? Why did she swing her weapon? Why was she here?

To kill him!

Why was her spirit doing so much to distract her right now? It was protective of her. She knew this. But this was going too far. She wasn't here to fight the man-

Peace. Peace?

All at once her mind had calmed. There were no objections from her spirit. That was confusing. Normally it might fight something like this. Was she on to something? Wait, was it trying to help her in the first place, to drive her towards this conclusion?

Peace for herself. Peace for her friends. Peace for everyone. She didn't always fight for those reasons, but that was her purpose right here and now. This was all to avoid a war, to avoid the many battles she might otherwise submerge herself within. It ran counter-productive to what she was, or at the very least to what she had been in the past.

A deep calming breath was drawn inwards. Peace of mind is what she needed here. Acknowledge the pain, but don't linger upon it. Focus upon the orb. Strike the orb before it made impact, not to destroy it but to remove it as a threat.

Her zanpakuto was raised overhead. Slowly she exhaled, eye locked upon the glowing orb as it was pitched. She waited for it to near a location between them just in case it might explode. The sword cleaved down in an arch, not rushed or filled with malice or forced by strength alone but instead guided by a singular purpose.

A shimmer cut through the air, impacted with the orb just as it started to curve. The tricky move meant that her attack was off-centered. Still, it had the desired effect regardless. Kevin's attack was split nearly in half, continuing forward for a couple of meters before each section detonated.

Yuki took a moment to collect herself, tail wagging excitedly behind her. She'd done it! But it had costed her. Her arms strained under the weight of her sword, shoulders continued to bleed from the glancing blows. Still, she felt it was worth it. Would that be enough to prove herself? Doubtful. But it was a start.

"Do you give up? Or shall we begin our fight?"

As she sliced through his pitch, Kevin got ready to field it, but was left standing in an awkward spread-legged stance as the blasts of energy shot out behind her and collided along the first base line. He almost whistled in approval, but seeing her tail wag forced him to chuckle into his hand. So they were real.

”I don’t really know how to score that. It ought to be a foul tip, I think, but destroying the actual ball might mean it’s still in play,” Kevin told her, scratching his head in thought with his mitt. He wasn’t sure what fighting her would actually entail. In her last confrontation with Zenji, things had been going well until Kevin let him get a wallop in with his stick. He didn’t much feel angry enough to bruise Yuki’s ribs like he must have to Zenji.

”I guess we can fight properly, though. You let me throw to you first and I got two base on balls there, so it’s only fitting I play defense for a change. Come get you some,” he said to her, dropping into his pitcher’s stance and working another ball of Reishi up behind his glove. If she fired a magic beam like Zenji did, he would be ready to counter with a blast of his own. If she fought the way he was told Shinigami preferred, then he’d have a little surprise ready for her too.

"Score?"

So many Human words. It was a little distracting. She would need to take some time to learn them later. But for the moment she needed to focus on the task at hand. Yuki had actually hoped that such a display might end the coming fight before it could begin. However this man was not so ready to give up. A good quality to be certain, but one which made this next part even trickier.

I need to beat him without drawing blood.

This naive plan of yours will fail.

I can do it.

Let me help you. It will be easy.

No.

Her eye shut, mind focused inwards to silence her spirit.  A repeat of her fight with the other Quincy would prove disastrous. She couldn't rely upon that power. Still, her body had already suffered damage. Could she even defeat him at this point if she didn't hold back?

With focus centering once more upon Kevin the wolf raised her sword out to her right side, her signal that she was ready and preparing to make her move. A brief charge of energy into her legs allowed her to propel herself in one swift step across the field, a makeshift near hoho which buckled the ground upon impact. Still, it had done its job.

Get in close. Force him to surrender!

Her zanpakuto flashed outwards in an arc aimed towards the man's midsection. She fully intended upon stopping it before it made impact. After all he didn't really have a weapon, did he? More importantly, if he was anything like Zenji then his close quarters capabilities would be lacking, right?

Yield!

It seemed she was not about to lob any spells at him, something Kevin was grateful for. A nice clean face to face was so much simpler to understand than all the wizard magic that Zenji had been doing at him.

”Oh shit!” he called out in surprise as she vanished from where she had been and impacted with the ground a short distance from him. He had not expected a teleportation power, but that didn’t matter much. Reeling back as she popped up in front of him, he sucked the energy in the ball back into his arm, causing the surging veins in his arm to glow with a spiritual light as the particles that would be going into his attack were repurposed into an illuminated barrier running the length of his enhanced limb.

As her blade came in at his stomach, Kevin shifted to the side and let his arm fly in a viscous hook aimed straight for the sword. Spiritual steel met with the condensed Reishi, the blade hovering an inch away from his skin. As he gritted his teeth, he let some of the stored up energy out from his knuckles, pushing back with a sound not unlike a pistol shot and sending a cloud of dirt and light blasting out from the two of them.

Chunks of scorched turf rained down around them as the light subsided, a smile on Kevin’s mouth as he clenched his fist again and reloaded his limb with protective Reishi. ”Should have told you, I never really learned how to do a bow like most of our people,” he said cordially, flexing his fingers and letting his protective barrier pulse with the muscle movement.

Alas, Yuki would not need to pull back her strike, nor would the man yield so easily. He was in fact able to fight in close quarters! She was admittedly worried for a moment when he sent his fist towards her weapon as she was unable to stop it in time, but thankfully he ended up avoiding even a slight cut. Still, the news was only partially good.

You cannot hold back against this man.

She didn't want to admit it, but her spirit was right. Kevin had her outmatched in a ranged confrontation. The explosive nature of his punch had sent her sliding back just the same. Getting hit by that would hurt plenty. It also gave the man breathing room in case he needed it, room to lob another destructive orb her way. At the end of the day it was a very impressive weapon.

So be it.

"I must apologize" she started, straightening out her body in order to deliver another brief bow. "For the sake of peace I had wrongly intended to hold back in the hopes of avoiding any bloodshed. You are stronger than I had anticipated. Forgive me for any wounds which might be inflicted. I will attempt not to sever anything. If you are then I must request that you do not hold back any longer."

Yuki could feel something within herself. Satisfaction, not from her but from her spirit. It was right and she was wrong. Of course there would be blood. But it would be shed for a good cause. It would matter.

Feet slowly shifted apart as her body settled back into a proper combat stance, blade held in front of her at the ready. It would give her opponent time to ready himself as well. An honorable duel for peace. That made sense.

The fight began anew with a flick of her wrist. Her zanpakuto shifted down just a slight bit, reiatsu concentrated in a micro burst at the ground right in front of Kevin. An explosion of sand and dirt and grass would shield her approach. However she didn't attempt to get behind him. No, she kicked off in a direct charge, ears lifted and shifting to catch any movements made by her foe.

As she burst through the cloud of debris her blade was leveled, aimed in a stab for the Quincy's gut! He could certainly live through that. It might be painful, but that might get him to yield. Most importantly, it was a large enough target that she might land a hit.

Another brief feeling crossed her mind. Satisfaction. Again. But this felt different too. It felt real, not some mocking gesture. Was this what her spirit wanted?

Pull no punches.