Sparring time! (Rangiku/Noharu)

The impact of her leg striking the woman's forearm as they blocked drew a grin from Noharu's face as she pushed off of the strike, twisting her blade to block the swipe, but well, without anything to ground her she was promptly batted away from the Lieutenant, skidding back as that smile of hers widened as she felt that fire burn all the more intensely inside of her! "Hey hey hey! Cmon Rangiku, I know you can do better than that! You're going quiet and I haven't even started going all out yet." She called out to her playfully, egging the woman on as she launched herself back towards the woman!

She swing her sword, aiming for an overhead chop towards the woman's body, but in the very last instant, her body vanished, a sharp hiss of air as she would suddenly be right next to Rangiku, slamming her elbow up and into Rangiku's wrist to try and knock the woman's zanpaku'to from her grasp in the same motion that she thrust the pommel of her sword up into the woman's sternum. A forceful strike that, frankly, she imagined at most would only stagger Rangiku rather than properly wind them.

"If you need to warm up then how about I just snag Haineko from you eh?~ A bit of Hand to Hand to warm up with?"

Noharu skidded back and her afterimage faded as she noted Rangiku's state after taking the strike. A lopsided little smile playing across her lips as she gave a roll of her shoulders. "Oh, and why would I go all out at the start?"~ She ventured, smiling from ear to ear as she promptly vanished, blitzing past Rangiku and aiming a sudden flurry of strikes. Her frame splitting seemingly into four as she executed a vicious barrage of strikes aimed at the woman's shoulders and ribcage, rapidly shunpoing in a circle around Rangiku to execute four punches before skidding along the sand opposite of where she had started, using that insane Hoho skill of hers to dart in and strike before Rangiku had a chance to adjust past perhaps the first or second strike. Assuming she only tried to block them normally that is.

" Cmon though~ You'll have to be a bit quicker than that. You've beaten me before. But you're gonna have to be more aggressive if you plan on winning like you have in the past." She taunted. Naturally she'd lost a few ways. Getting overwhelmed by Haineko. Getting caught in a grapple by the woman's monsterous strength. Even getting surprised by some subtle kido spells once or twice. Of course there were also plenty of times she herself had come out the victor. They were able to push eachother only the way that two women who had fought dozens of times before could. She had to be on her toes, think outside the box. And of course, ponder.

Just how rusty was Rangiku in comparison to Noharu?~ Noharu had been training with the squad regularly, and even been deployed to Africa on a fairly frequent basis. Frankly, the only thing that dulled her edge was recovering from that incident.

Rangiku weathering her assault definitely wasn’t outside of her expectations, but she couldn’t help but smile a bit wider as she saw the glint of Haineko and the crackle of Rangiku’s shikai being unleashed.

Something that usually instilled a sense of escalation in Noharu in these bouts. But not this time. She’d thought a lot about her own shortcomings. Or rather about the attitudes she’d experienced in the recent incident. The Third Seat Shura Kurata’s declaration. That Individuals incapable of Bankai should be delegated away from front line duties. As insipid a notion as they came. Noharu had a number of allies well below expectations that she trusted by her side in the field. But even more than that, it had instilled something else. A sense of her own pride. At the very idea that her Bankai was what aught be valued. She’d shown that value by trouncing the Third Seat in their Bankai without ever even releasing herself.

And that had been in a way far more thrilling than she could have thought. That she wasn’t JUST her bankai. The look in Ranma’s eyes when she’s told him that there was so much more to a shinigami than their zanpakuto.

“ Bakudo Thirty Eight! Hyoga chōjō 氷河頂上 _{Glacier Summit}”

She flickered past that surge of ash and aimed to slap her palm against Rangiku’s wrist, causing an outward burst of frigid reiryoku from the point of contact to burst outward, aiming to promptly ice the woman’s limb and freeze the ash in midair. A piercing glow of reiryoku in Noharu’s eyes as suddenly three more of her surrounded Rangiku.

Ren’yōkeisemi 群がり蝉 _{Swarming Cicada}

The ice would hardly be enough to hold Rangiku forever, eapecially not in her Shikai, but it just needed to hold her in place as Noharu and her Afterimages suddenly turned to frenzied blurs. A storm of high speed slashes suddenly filling the air, making a loud, piercing shriek like a swarm of cicadas as Noharu unleashed the normally deadly Hoho technique, one that generally reduced targets to finely diced ribbons. But of course, not only was Noharu dulling her blade, but Rangiku was even MORE sturdy in her shikai. The use of such a potent technique was aimed to bombard Rangiku with strikes to stagger and knock her down, as well as cause an explosive burst as that layer of ice was turned into a spray of shattered ice chips that littered the training ground as Noharu and her afterimages skidded to a stop in a distant circle around her Lieutenant, the afterimages fading almost immediately as a mischievous grin spread across the third seat’s features. As if to say she wouldn’t need her Shikai to beat Rangiku.

Noharu couldn't help but smile just a bit wider as Rangiku affirmed that she was being arrogant. "Oh?~ MAybe I AM being a little arrogant. No point having a fat dick unless yer willin to swing it." She noted with a sly smirk under her breath, dropping her voice a bit for that one so that only Rangiku would hear it. Attempting to throw the woman offf. But well. It seemed that they both had the same idea.

"Hadō Number 31. Shakkahō!"

Her hand snapped up and she executed her spell just as Rangiku's went off. But well, in her released state, that thick ball of flames slammed into the sudden onslaught of burning blue reishi before promptly exploding, plowed through by the surge of spriritual energy that swallowed up the attack and slammed into Noharu. A spectacle of a clash punctuated only by the sudden SLAM of a heel into Rangiku's waist from the side, a flying kick at full speed from the smoke, the entire left side of Noharu's body VERY singed, smoke coiling from her scorched shuhakusho as reiryoku crackeld along the length of the leg as she aimed to slam it into Rangiku from the side. Thin crackles of spiritual energy arcing to the nearby chunks of dirt and dust accenting contact before the sand was suddenly blown away in a bubble from the impact.

Even enhanced by Hakuda, it would hardly deal serious damage, but the concentrated force would still potentially knock the wind out of Rangiku in the process of knocking her to the ground as Noharu dropped and panted, grinning from ear to ear even amidst the burns on her frame. Yea, that was the cost of this little move of hers. Arrogantly trying to match Rangiku in her sealed state. It meant that even at full speed, pulling all the tricks at her disposal. Of course, frankly, she had damaged Rangiku, but those injuries would only be so deep, definitely not enough to make anything decisive.

But she wasn't going to give up! Steam spilled from the sides of her mouth, and the bright golden glow of her spiritual energy shined in her eyes as she launched herself from her crouched position! Aiming to charge at Rangiku from the front! Aiming to slam a kick into her chest! Only, it wasn't as strong as before. Primarily because it was a solid afterimage.

The REAL Noharu would shoot in from behind, front-flipping into Ganriku from behind, locking her legs around the woman's head and neck and then vaulting! Aiming to use the full strength and momentum of her entire body to lift Rangiku and slam her down into the ground with her legs clenched around her neck and one arm in a headlock! Adding a bit of urgency to the situation as she aimed to immobilize the woman's arm at the shoulder and apply a bit of pressure to them.

Noharu was more than satisfied with the effects of her assault! It was true, she was much weaker than the Lieutenant, but it was also much easier for her to overwhelm the woman with her tricks. The look on her face as Noharu's legs lock around them instills her with a sense of confidence and she attempts to lock her ankles, gripping at Rangiku's wrist in an attempt to choke her out. Not the most honorable of ends to the spar, but it would suffice.

However, despite her attempts at securing Rangiku's arm, she tensed as she felt it slowly prying free from her grip and latch onto her thigh and begin prying her leg from the woman's neck. Fuck. An immediate look of panic spread across her face as she was slowly pried off of the woman. Oh she could tell that Rangiku was pissed, as not only did Rangiku pry her free, but soon enough, she was helpless as the woman's legs swung up and promptly latched around her waist as she felt the woman lock her leg! The instant tension in her tendons sent a shock of alarm up Noharu's spine, but even with Rangiku's taunt, a grin spread across Noharu's features as she leered down at Rangiku.

"Not bad, but if you think you're gonna get me to give up with a submission hold, you've got another thing coming." She grinned, raising a finger towards Rangiku's shoulder. "Gasping cries of the Lightning King, Seven Fates burning the sky as clouds gather in rage. Hadō number Four , Byakurai!" The spell was cast with the intent of delivering a piercing shock to the woman's shoulder. Naturally, the attack wouldn't actually do serious damage as it would in a normal combat scenario, but she was banking on the shock being enough to allow her to pry herself from the leglock.