Chapter 17: The day before...

Blaze woke up and looked across his room at Kewashii Furea, he smiled at the thought of his new attained powers and how he could use them… what new tactics he could learn and master. Blaze got up and got dressed and left his apartments, he walked down the street and wondered what he should do today... the last day before the tournament. Blaze continued on his way down the streets and he heard Itsyuada's voice coming from somewhere, he followed it to a dojo that had the door cracked open a bit and he peeked inside. Itsyuada was knelt beside Kuro and was talking to Kuro, Kuro sat cross legged on the floor and his eyes were shut. Blaze walked in;

"Hey Itsyuada what are you two doing in here?" Blaze said as he slid open the door to the dojo,

"Shhh! Quiet blaze, I'm helping Kuro out" Itsyuada said in an aggravated tone at Blaze.  

"Oh sorry… helping him with what" Blaze asked quietly,

"he came by the medical unit when I was getting my jaw checked out and he looked angry for some reason and when I asked him what was on his mind he asked if I'd help him reach his inner world… so here I am, helping Kuro reach his inner world through meditation" Itsyuada explained to Blaze.

"Why would he want to reach his inner world though?" Blaze asked Itsyuada still slightly confused,

"Kuro said he doesn't want to be left in your trail… he wants to feel stronger or equal to you Blaze" Itsyuada said, "looks to me like he wants to obtain Bankai… you've got quite the rival Blaze" Itsyuada continued.

"Were not rivals... to be honest, I don't know what we are" Blaze said as he turned to face the door,

"Well you better go spend your last day thinking of a strategy for the tournament, I'll stay here and finish helping Kuro" Itsyuada said.

Blaze walked out of the dojo and continued down the street, he bumped into Kenpachi and Yachiru.

"Hahaha not even a day in my squad and your already heading off to the tournament of warriors aren't ya kid" Kenpachi said as he pushed blaze in the chest, "Guess I'm just that good of a teacher" Kenpachi said with a grin.

"Heh… guess so" Blaze said as he moved to the side to step out of Kenpachi's way… he didn't want to confront the barbaric captain much longer.

"Leaving already kid?" Kenpachi asked look to his side,

"It's just… I have to go think about some stuff and get prepared for tomorrow's tournament fight, I have my first match and if I win ill advance onto the corner finals" Blaze said sounding like he had a lot to do.

Kenpachi turned to blaze and grabbed him by his uniform and pulled him over to a bulletin board off to the side of the street;

"There you are, and that's your opponent" Kenpachi said as he pointed to a poster that was pinned up against the bulletin board.

Blaze looked at the poster, it was highly detailed with all the pictures of the entries, blaze looked at some of the soul reapers but only one really caught his eye. It was a women soul reaper who had long light blue hair and very attractive. Her name was 'Kiri Suisho… Blaze was stunned at how beautiful she was. He noticed he was on the right side of the tournament block, in the fourth fight, she however was in the first fight and that meant they would only have the chance to fight in the finals. Blaze found comfort in this as he could never hurt a girl.

"Don't let the girl fool you kid, I heard she's pretty good" Kenpachi said breaking Blaze's concentration, Blaze nodded and turned away from the bulletin board.

"Well I guess I'll go see if the head captain needs me for anything before I kill time" Blaze said,

"You don't want to even know who you're up against tomorrow. All you did was look at that girl" Kenpachi asked blaze confused.

Blaze smiled and made his way over to the Seireitei. He walked in the doors and met with a soul reaper and requested that he see the head captain. The two walked until they reached the head captains chambers and without even asking permission Blaze walked in. Yamamoto turned around and noticed blaze walk into the room.

"Oh Blaze what is it?" Yamamoto asked as he walked over to his seat take a seat,

"No need to sit head captain, I won't be here too long" Blaze said stopping Yamamoto from settling down.

"Why have you come here Blaze?" Yamamoto asked Blaze with a confused look on his face,

"I want to know some more about the tournament… is there anything crucial I should know, after all it is tomorrow" Blaze asked.

"Well there are some things that you should know… I'm guessing you didn't research anything about the tournament did you" Yamamoto asked displeased in blaze, he then sat down in his seat as he no longer wanted to stand.

"Well, there are eight soul reapers in this tournament and to win the tournament you must be successful in all three of your fights. When you have done so you then have earned a shot at a captain fight where any captain of your choice can be fought… if you win then you take over that captains spot as one of the thirteen court guard squad captains" Yamamoto explained.

Blaze thought to himself and put all the pieces together;

"If I can win my first fights maybe the Black rose will notice… I'm sure they'll target me. If Kogeta has a grudge held against the soul society and has kept it this long then who knows how big of a grudge he holds against me for my mother's death" Blaze said to himself but acknowledging that Yamamoto was there.

"if what you say about that tattoo on the mystery attacker is true then yes the black rose will definitely attack us while we are focused on the tournament… but with you as the bait for the black rose's leader then we can hand pick the attacker and hopefully find a trail to where Kogeta and the other Renegade soul reapers are located" Yamamoto said and then stopped and looked at Blaze,

"By the way blaze… in the tournament, each match is either one by making your enemy surrender or death" Yamamoto added as he waited for Blaze's response.

Blaze looked past Yamamoto and out his balconies view… he watched the sun shine over the seireitei and soul society;

"I will protect everyone… and to do so, I'll take whatever chance I must" Blaze said as a smile appeared across his face.

Blaze then took to the door;

"Wait blaze!" Yamamoto exclaimed before Blaze left his room, "here is the ceremonial coat that each one of the Tournament fighters will be introduced in" Yamamoto said stopping blaze from leaving and approaching him with a box.

"I'll open it up tomorrow when I get ready tomorrow head captain" blaze said as he walked towards the door again;

"As long as you show up wearing it!" Yamamoto yelled to Blaze as Blaze walked out the door.

(I'll go visit Kibo now… this time in a good mood) Blaze thought as he couldn't think of any better way to spend his time for the rest of the day.

{An unknown location}

In a large dark room, a red carpet ran down the middle, four chairs in total… two on each side and there was one large chair at the end of the red carpet. On either sides of the throne like chair at the end of the red carpet was a door. 3 of the four chairs that were placed on either sides of the red carpet had people sitting in them… they all wore black cloaks with hoods. The left hand door to the throne at the end of the red carpet creaked open and another person in a black coat emerged, he walked over to the throne and sat down.

"It would appear that on the way to the Tournament, Kesho ran into two shinigami's" the lone hooded figure o the right side of the carpet said. "The Grand menos I sent under my control with her was used" The man continued.

"I'm sure Kesho disposed of them easily… Kesho knows that our main goal is to get Kesho at that tournament and go in un-noticed. With Kesho in place at the tournament and to win... we will have one of our members as a captain among the Seireitei making our plan to command the soul society just that much simpler" The man sitting in the throne said.

"That's not all… She also mentioned that one of the soul reapers she ran into on her way to the Soul society… was Blaze" The person sitting to the right replied,

"Blaze… did she kill him?" The hooded figure said as he grabbed the arm of his throne with tremendous force.

" she said she left the hollow to do the work but watched from a distance as they were rescued by what appears to be an arrancar in a captains uniform" the man to the right continued;

The man at the throne stood up and turned to his right and looked at the man sitting in the chair to his right.

"Is that all?" the standing figure asked,

"Not exactly… she said she was able to finally make her way into the soul society this evening but-",

"But what!" the standing man interrupted.

"She saw the tournament schedule… Blaze is one of the eight soul reapers who will be fighting in the tournament" The man on the right side of the room said quietly and as calmly as he could;

The standing man walked towards the door he originally came in.

"Tell Kesho that our new top priority is to get rid of Blaze… eliminate him from the tournament" the man said as he opened the door,

"Is everything okay Kogeta?" the man on the right hand side of the carpet asked the man standing at the door.

The man standing at the door turned and from the light that shone from off candles glared off lower face to show him grin  and a tattoo of a rose on the side of his neck;

"Never felt… stronger" he said and he walked through the door shutting it behind him.