Jacara woke up first, eager to carry pale of buckets of water for once. Ul'lanna stopped him, giving him a look. 'Don't forget what you need to do.' He rolled his eyes at her, assuring it was going to be okay. She let out a growl, watching him saunter out. She made her way to the hot springs, looking at everyone else, keep to their same routines. 'Hmm, the only time I can investigate this place, will be after dinner. But how can I learn the patrol times? Tsk. If Banana was here, I would have a distraction.' She entered into the hot springs already steaming hot, with several other monks keeping it hot. Ul'lanna sat down in deep thought opening her Fire gate. The monks waved her down. It fell on deaf ears, as the water boiled away. She scratched her head frustrated. 'How am I meant to investigate this place, when I'm busy keeping this stupid spring hot!?' She was shaken from her train of thought by a hot gust of wind. Kenpachi stood in front of her, with a bright and warm smile. As the other monks left, he gave her a suggestive smile. She cringed.
He coddled up to her, taking her from behind, and nuzzling her neck. "Yesterday was amazing. I was wondering if we could-" She broke away from him, pushing on his chest. "First times free." "Oh? What will it cost me to spend time with you?" 'Shit! Think Ul'lanna! Quick he's looking at you.' "You have to beat Yamada in a fight." "I was under the impression that you two were not a couple." "Oh, we're not. He's just very, very, very, VERY, protective of the things he loves. And um.....And unless you get his Blessing and word. He'll turn his rage towards you." Kenpachi reeled back stroking his chin. 'Okay that should keep him distracted. There's no one stupid enough to challenge Yamada, after what he did.'
He pulled her in close by the waist. "Then by this afternoon, I'll have you begging for me. For I cannot live without you." "Oh yay....I can't wait." She said with a forced smile. He forced a kiss onto her cheek, and left in a rush. "Oh that's not good." Jacara was followed by Xia, who strolled beside him. "Your breathing has improved. It seems you took Yamada's lesson to heart." Jacara said nothing. "Even learning to save your words. Something I didn't think possible for you." 'Don't say, you're saving, your tongue. Don't say, you're saving, your tongue. Don't say, you're saving, your tongue.' "Ahhh, listen to that silence. Is it not peaceful prince?" He nodded, holding in a festering rage. "You know, if you were like this more often, that Elf would like you more." "What does that matter?" "Oh please, I see the way you care for her. You're worse than Foreaux."
"She's the most hot headed woman, I've ever met. Never listening to the voice of reason. The only thing, I'm interested is her body. Which, I'll have plenty of when we win this war!" He snapped, the buckets being thrown off balance. "Yes, yes. I'm sure that's all it is. That's why you make sure her ears are covered every night." His eyes shot open. She gave him a sly smile. "She may not know it, but every night when she sleeps. You raise a wall to block the noise letting her sleep in peace, and close it first. "I-" "Then there's your stealing of fruit from the tables, to make her a fruit syrup." "You-" "Lie to everyone else. Lie to your friends, to your family, to yourself in the mirror, but you cannot lie to your heart." She said holding her hand over his. "It knows what it wants." He threw the buckets off his shoulders. "I don't love Ul'lanna!" He snapped. "She's an Elf, and I'm a prince of three-" "Three?" "The princess of Kal'Nar will be waiting for me, and I'll usurp three kingdoms under my name."
"You two keep lying to yourselves." "Two?" "She is no better than you. Although if I had to name the worst culprit of this. It would be-" "Foreaux." She rolled her eyes. "Two decades of, we're just friends. Ridiculousness." Jacara made his way to the top, sweating less than yesterday. Princess Yan waited for him. She bit her seductively at the sight of him. "You can leave us Xia." "I'm under orders from your father, to keep a watch on this one." "I'm giving you new orders." "After his outburst yesterday, you're both lucky, I'm only watching." "DAMN IT XIA! I SAID LEAVE!" She shrieked, startling Jacara to drop the buckets. "He cannot leave my sight Princess." "I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!" She screamed, rolling on the floor throwing a tantrum. Jacara reeled back. 'I have made a terrible mistake.'
Yamada made his way to the courtyard, knowing Karina was off to start stealing rations for them. 'Okay, make it showy. Distract everyone. Treat it as training.' He panned the courtyard with everyone looking at him terrified. 'Damn it, I already did that! Those bronze people aren't here either. Nor is Foreaux...although I don't think he would want to talk to me. Hmmm, who can I fight here that will keep them distracted.' He rubbed his head sighing. 'AHHH! Who can I fight? Do I just transform and scare them for two months straight? Maybe? There's just no one to-' Kenpachi flew in from the sky, skidding across the ground in front of Yamada, his Kāṣāya already at his waist. "Yamada! Fight me and give me your blessing!" He cocked his head to side. 'Blessing? I have a Water affinity?' He shook his head. 'Doesn't matter. This is perfect.' Yamada pulled his Kāṣāya down as well, raising his fist. "Let's spar!"
"Today, you will breathe your last breath!" Kenpachi roared. Yamada gave him a confused look. "Wait what?" Kenpachi lunged in, throwing a straight punch. Yamada blocked the attack with a cross block, being pushed back onto his toes. His arms rattling from the force. "Then Ul'lanna will be mine." "What!?" Yamada exclaimed still confused. Kenpachi threw a high round house kick. Yamada ducked under it, readying himself for a counter attack. When a powerful blast of air struck him in the face. He was blown across the courtyard. Yamada stood up, holding his bloodied nose. 'How did he hit me? I didn't see him open the gate. His attack missed me. Where did he generate that attack from?' Kenpachi wasted no time dashing in, with one arm cocked back and another outstretched. Yamada panned the area, seeing more and more people gather to watch his fight. 'I need to make this a spectacle.'
Kenpachi swapped his arms before reaching Yamada. He felt a rush of air pull him off balance. Yamada stumbled forward. Summoning his armour in response. Kenpachi's uppercut stopped just shy of his face. Yamada was thrown into the air by a powerful blast of air. His head spun, and blood sprayed into the air coiling into mist. He landed with a crunch on the ground groaning. "HA! She's all mine now!" Kenpachi boasted, throwing his hand into the air. Yamada banished his armour, rolling over onto his hands and knees. He spat out blood and shaking his head. Kenpachi spun around growling, 'I have to make everyone leave and watch us. I have no idea what he's talking about.' Yamada stood up, cracking his neck. 'That technique of his, is also annoying.' He scrunched his face, going deep into thought.
'How can I find his rhythm and tempo?' "It's okay to cry. She'll be mine soon enough." "Will you shut up!? I'm trying to think!" Yamada snapped. He let out a frustrated hiss. 'Too many things to think of. How to make everyone watch? How to beat this guy without killing him? Why are they hiding Lyn from Karina? What is he talking about? And how the FUCK does becoming water help me!!?' The others watched as Yamada randomly threw his hands up in frustration, without making a sound. They all shared a glance, staring on concerned.
He thought back to his days with Kapuna, teaching him how to write and read. The days he spent in bed, when she forced him to rest, rather than letting him train. How she forced a stick into his fists, and made him write in the mud. "Yama, you're not focusing on the letters." She scolded, looking at his squiggly letters. "I'm trying!" He snapped. She stood behind, shaking her head confused. 'Why is he having such trouble copying my letters? Why are they so squiggly!?' Yamada threw the stick down in a fit of rage. "TRAINING!" "NO!" Kapuna shouted back. He glared at her, his scabbed knuckles shaking. "TRAINING!" "I SAID NO! Not until you finish learning how to write!" "I CAN'T MAKE IT LIKE YOURS!" "Then do it your way." Yamada snatched the stick, digging it into the ground, making his jagged letters. "There!" He growled, walking away. Kapuna cocked an eyebrow at it. She shook her head shrugging at it. "Close enough." Kenpachi seized the opportunity, lunging at the distracted Yamada, striking him across the face.
Yamada barrelled across the courtyard. He stared up at the empty sky, the sun shining above. 'Why did I just remember that? Why am I remembering Yamata? There's nothing left for me there.' He sat up, face bloodied and bruised. Kenpachi was already charging at him. Yamada did a quick kick up, readying himself for a fight. Kenpachi threw a barrage of kicks and punches. Every attack launched struck with a powerful blast of wind afterwards. As he pulled his legs and arms back, it dragged the air with it. Each attack knocked the air out of Yamada's lungs. His eyes became blood shot, choking and gasping for his next breath. With a powerful side kick to the chest, he launched Yamada clean across the courtyard. The onlookers cheered for him.
Yamada sat up spitting out a wad of blood. Kenpachi scowled, sucking on his teeth. 'Just how durable are you!?' Yamada watched as it seeped into the hard ground, turning the top into mush. He cocked his head to the side, touching his chin feeling the dried up blood. Yamada leapt to his feet, making Kenpachi halt his advance. 'What's with him? What's he thinking of?' Yamada raised his foot to the sky bringing it down with a scream. He cracked the ground apart. Kenpachi and the others jolted back. He created a Water gate, drenching the ground, and struck it again with an axe kick. The ground shattered into wet chunks. Pulling the water into the air, and surrounding himself in a sphere of water. He begun to spin as if in a waltz with Gwyneth. Dancing on his toes the sphere begun to swirl around him. He came to a sudden stop inside, letting it vortex around him. He smiled running his hand through the rushing water. "What are you doing!?" Kenpachi shouted. "I haven't been remembering Yamata." "What?" Yamada bounced on his toes, rocking his head side to side, wearing a glee filled grin. 'What did he just figure out? It doesn't matter. He's in my way.'
Kenpachi leapt in with one hand tucked at his waist, and another reached out. Yamada continued to bounce on his toes, hands at his side. Kenpachi swapped his arms. As Yamada felt the gust of wind touch his back, he launched himself forward, striking Kenpachi with a counter hook. He felt his knuckles connect and knock out some teeth. Kenpachi folded under his fist, tumbling against the ground, kicking up a dust storm. Mumurs and gasps rang throughout the crowd. Kenpachi forced himself up, coughing and spitting blood, with teeth coming out.
He raised his fists up with ragged breathing. 'That bastard, landed a perfect counter. What happened to him? What did he figure out?' Yamada hopped on one foot from another, with no rhyme or reason. Kenpachi watched his foot work. There was no pattern, it was complete chaos, too unpredictable. "What's wrong? Are you afraid to attack?" Yamada asked with a smug grin. Kenpachi let out a roar charging in. He threw a feral barrage of punches. Yamada kept on his toes, leaping back with each attack, still wearing his grin. Kenpachi continued to miss each strike, with Yamada just out of reach. Kenpachi let out a frustrated shout. "Don't get cocky!" He opened a Wind gate, covering the sky. The other monks ran away terrified. "Magnum Opus." Yamada's eyes bulged. He had never seen a Magnum Opus before. "BLADE STORM!"
Kenpachi leapt in with a spinning kick. A cyclone formed around him, releasing several blades of air. Yamada barely dodged in time, with a blade nicking his cheek. He watched as the blades tore up the courtyard. A blade came down from the sky, cutting down his back. Yamada winced, looking up seeing the Wind gate, spinning violently. "Shit!" He leapt out of the way, with blades shooting from the sky. Weaving and dancing through the blades, Kenpachi absorbed them before they fell into his own momentum. Yamada leapt into the sky hoping to disrupt the gate. A force sucked him back to the ground. Kenpachi continued to spin the cyclone enveloping him, grew larger and larger. More and more blades shot out, their size rivalling a Dragon's claw. Yamada was buffeted from every angle, being nicked and cut apart. He summoned his armour for second. A thousand deafening pings rung out.
With no time to clutch his ringing ears, he continued to evade, with the blades starting to cut deeper and deeper. 'I'm getting slower, and he's getting faster. I have to destroy that gate.' Zhing and Ichibae raced to see the commotion, both witnessing the Wind gate encircling the courtyard. "WHAT WILL YOU DO NOW!?" Kenpachi roared from within the storm. Trapped from all sides, Yamada summoned his armour, bracing himself for the impact. Closing his eyes, he found himself on Yamata, watching the Maelstrom, in the dead of night. The Storm raging above it, the only illuminating light. The winds whipping and buffeting the water below. He screamed till his voice was hoarse, tears streaming down his face, blood dripping from his fists, letting himself be drowned out by the booming thunder.
'Water by itself has no strength. It does not do anything. It simply exists. Only when it touches another element, does it change and stops becoming Water. It is enveloped by them. Turning to steam, to mud, to mist, but.' Yamada opened his eyes, opening a giant Water gate, and surrounding himself. The blades tore through the sphere, pinging off his armour. The buffeting winds whipped the surface of the sphere into mist. Yamada let out a roar, increasing the size of the sphere. It begun to swirl, slowing and absorbing the blades. Kenpachi's cyclone, started to infused with water vapours. The sphere grew larger and larger devouring the blades, and beginning to absorb Kenpachi's momentum into his own. Ichibae and Karina made their way to the courtyard, watching in awe as Kenpachi's Magnum Opus was slowly devoured. Yamada transformed into the Serpent Knight, with the growing size of the sphere.
The cyclone came to a stop, and Kenpachi was thrown violently across the courtyard. He sat up ragged and covered in sweat, watching as his gate and Magnum Opus disappeared. The sphere exploded revealing Yamada as the Serpent Knight, with a fine mist showering them. He towered over Kenpachi, staring into the sky. He reverted back to normal with a satisfied smile across his face. 'They all drown, when there's enough water.' He turned to Kenpachi, with blood dripping from all of his cuts, then looking to everyone watching. "I am Yamada Ken! Son of master, Osore Ken, the Fire Fist! I am the Serpent Knight! First person to beat me in a fight gets...." 'SHIT! WHAT AM I OFFERING!?' He thought blushing. "First person to beat him, get's to marry my daughter." Emperor Zhing said beside Ichibae. 'That definitely works!' "Rest your wounds, and fight at your best, Serpent Knight. For I will not have a weakling have my daughter's first be a weakling." Yamada stifled a laugh.