Zaraki Yumiko stood in silence in the middle of the training grounds of eleventh division. Her pure white hair fluttered around her face as her violet eyes shone brightly through the storm of white. Her best friend, Oyamada Hikari, stood across from her, blue-green eyes serious.
Suddenly, with a flash of gleaming silver, Yumiko unsheathed her zanpakuto: Sora-Hime. Regally, Hikari mirrored her movement, albeit in a slower manner. Her Zanpakuto: Raikou no Kumori, glimmered with anticipation.
Foregoing any regular swordplay, the two girls immediately released their Shikai. When their stronger forms were revealed, Yumiko looked at Hikari and grinned.
"Looking good," she called appreciatively. "I like the outfit."
Hikari laughed and retorted, "I could say the same."
Suddenly, they darted at each other, swords and sais raised. The two met in an angry clash of metal, and sparks and flames flew and flickered around their colliding forms. Yumiko disengaged and leapt back, sending a wave of fire at Hikari.
The girl just barely dodged it, earning a singed sleeve. Retaliating quickly, she guided spears of lightning at her friend mercilessly.
Lightning raced around the two girls, making Yumiko's hair frizzle up. Pouting, she hurried to flatten it, making her friend laugh.
"Oh, you think that's funny, do you? Soar, Sora-Hime!"
Large, fiery wings burst forth from Yumiko's back, allowing her to hover in the air over her surprised opponent.
"No fair!" Hikari called up with a pout. Yumiko just grinned and sent another wave of fire at Hikari as a distraction, before swooping behind her and slashing at her unprotected back. Her strike, however, was met by a crackling field of electricity.
"What the...?"
She darted back at Hikari slashed at her.
"Like it? It's my forcefield. Pretty neat, huh?"
Yumiko rolled her eyes.
"And you say I'm not fair?"
She flew at Hikari again.
"Ensnare, Sora-Hime!"
Suddenly, a ring of fire surrounded the two girls.
"Welcome to stage two of my shikai," the violet eyed girl said before slashing at her wide-eyed friend once more.
Hikari cursed mentally.
When did she learn that?
Urging more power into her shield, she met Yumiko's attack head on. Pushing her back with a burst of electricity, she shouted "Strike, Raikou!"
Her Sais once more elongated into twin Jian, and they crackled with fiercer energy than before. She lunged at Yumiko, who jumped back hurriedly to avoid the lethal blades. She was not quick enough, however, and her arm was sliced open, leaving crimson blood to stain the ground.
"Not bad," she said appreciatively before pushing Hikari back towards the wall of fire with vicious thrusts and slashes. Multiple small cuts appeared on Hikari's body as she was forced to retreat, and blood welled up in them, but seldom ran over.
Many blows and wounds later, the two girls stood, panting, across from each other.
"Let's finish this," Yumiko called over to Hikari, whose eyes narrowed in wariness.
What does she have up her sleeve?
"Bloom, Sora-Hime!"
A large, fiery rose materialized behind Yumiko.
"Meet the final stage of my Shikai. I'll let you in on a little secret, though, since you're my bestie. I don't have complete control over it yet, since I didn't have much time to work with Sora-Hime, so it probably won't do much right now."
"Ichi"
Yumiko sent a barrage of fire at Hikari, who, though tired, evaded it easily. One petal fell from the rose.
"Ni"
A small fire whirlwind sprang forth and consumed Hikari, who dispelled it. A second petal fell.
"San"
Petals of fire, similar to Senbonzakura, swirled around Hikari, singing her clothes, and leaving small burns here and there. A third.
"Shi"
The wall of fire closed in on her. A fourth.
"Go"
A thin vine of fire curled out of the wall and wrapped itself around Hikari, not close enough to burn her, but close enough to keep her in place. The final petal dropped free of the rose, revealing a curled up phoenix in the center.
The firebird uncurled itself ans unfolded its flaming wings majestically. Without waiting for a signal, it dove at Hikari, surrounding her in a blazing fury. Using all of her control, Yumiko kept the phoenix from really hurting her friend, and soon dropped down to the ground, completely exhausted.
The wings disappeared, and the flames dissipated to reveal Hikari, panting heavily on the cool ground, already released from her shikai. Yumiko allowed Sora-Hime to convert back to the simple katana, and sank down next to her friend.
"Six hits, you're dead," she murmured before laying down and pressing her cheek to the cool ground. "You've gotten a lot stronger, Kari-chan."
(OOC: I was totally pulling this outta my arse as I went along...)
Subject: Yumiko y Hikari training post 
