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Ikkaku was surprised to see Yumichika cutting through masses of the weak crew so easily and fluidly, like a dance. Yumichika was surprised to see Ikkaku slash through four people at once without having to stop, with only one goal on his mind. Reach the captain and fight. He was obsessed with testing his strength against someone who was strong, and hardly cared fighting the bony crew. Blood splashed on him and decorated him with dark red splatters.

The only thing that Yumichika wondered was; Is Ikkaku actually concerned about the ship, or is he only here to get the rust off his sword?

There wasn't time to worry about why Ikkaku was so excited. The whole reason Yumichika lead them there was to fight, and to have a little fun. If Ikkaku just wanted to beat the shit out of the strongest one there, while Yumichika was checking for valuables and clearing out the ship of any surplus treasure, who was he to say anything?

"Ikkaku, careful," Yumichika cautioned.

"Whatever!" Was Ikkaku's uncaring response, too engrossed in the mowing operation, clearing the ship of its crew.

Ikkaku's face and clothing had splatters of blood like some sort of grotesque polka-dot pattern. Yumichika, although he had shorter blades and should have been subjected to more blood than his friend with his up close, slit the throat and move on, style, was almost clean. The only exception being a small spot of blood on his cheek that had spurted from a punctured jugular before Yumichika was able to get out-of-the-way.

After only thirty minutes, the crew was in tatters, the ones who were alive backed into a corner, afraid, and the captain stood staring blankly. He must have been unaccustomed to challenges In the first place, seeing as he was twice the size of a normal human and was made of bulk.

Neither of his challengers were afraid of that, not now at least. Fighting was something they both found to be one of the most enjoyable things to do. It was a way of life, and with each other no foe seemed as unbeatable as they might have when fighting alone.

"Ikkaku, I'm going to find something worth taking as a souvenir. Please don't do anything too rash while I'm gone," Yumichika cautioned and walked over to the cabin then descended into the deeper levels of the ship.

The larger man laughed. "I though ya be cowards, fightin' me together. This be only a joke, surely? Ya aren't cowards, ya just not right in the head!"

Ikkaku grinned. It wasn't the first time he'd heard that, and it wouldn't be the last. He didn't mind being insane, sanity was only something that could slow him down. His grin, in anticipation of an entertaining kill, was enough to send most running. Bringing his blood coated blade to his lips he licked a bit off as if to show the other man he was crazy, and proud to have left his sanity in the dirt along with the rest of the garbage values so many put on pedestals.

For a split second, Ikkaku's opponent let fear, shock, flash in his eyes. That was enough time to close the gap between them and use a quick execution thrust. If the man couldn't dodge something like that, he wouldn't be worth the effort.

Dodging wasn't required, though. With hardly any effort, the larger man caught Ikkaku's wrist and threw him as a child would a rag doll that they'd lost interest in. He skipped across the deck, narrowly avoiding impaling himself on his own sword as he flailed. If the blow caused any damage, Ikkaku didn't let it show as he got up and brushed off debris.

"What the hell 're you?"

"A nightmare, a bogey man, someone you should have run from 'fore this started," Ikkaku said with a maniacal grin plastered on his face.

"Don't get cocky, just 'cause you're alive this time."

"Me? Cocky? Don't be fucking stupid. I know I'm stronger than you, I don't need overconfidence," was his answer, emphasis on each word as if they were enemies he was eager to fight as well. The anticipation was pouring from his person, he was nearly shaking, his eyes were open so wide it looked like it hurt.

Despite the size and strength difference, the captain of the ship was beginning to be afraid. The opponent wasn't sane, or if he was, the idea of show that sanity was forsaken as he stepped into battle. Bloodsport caused this man in front of him to become nothing more than a semi-human focused on nothing but cutting down whomever was stupid enough to get in the range of his warpath.

There was a large cut running the length of his forehead to the tip of his lip that occurred when he was thrown, and his back must have been riddled with splintered cuts from the floorboards. He was still standing as if none of that mattered, smiling despite his own blood pouring into his mouth.

He was oblivious to any of it. Nothing mattered, only that he fought and killed. Rushing forward, Ikkaku brought his sword down, making a cut that ran from the length of his shoulder to lower stomach, and following with a sideways slash mid-torso, being stopped only because his opponent realized if he continued to fear, he'd continue to lose. Catching the hilt of the blade, the captain yanked the blood soaked sword and threw it into the floor a good ten feet behind him.

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Yumichika was traveling through corridors dimly lit with an oil lamp he had found. "There's simply nothing interesting here, at least not that I can find," he mumbled looking to both of his sides for a door that might lead him somewhere with anything valuable.

Just as he looked forward again, a blade was only an inch from his nose.

He jumped backwards. "Okay, maybe I really should be careful what I ask for. That was not there when I was looking forward just a bit ago."

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"You think that makes a difference? I'll just beat the shit out of you with my bare hands. See, you can't beat me either way," Ikkaku said with a wide grin.

A banging sound came from underneath the floorboards, and Yumichika was shouting. "Be careful where you throw those swords, asshole! I'm down here."

"Yeah, yeah. You're making this less fun and you're not even up here."

"That almost took off my beautiful nose, you bastard!"

"Sorry, sorry," Ikkaku brushed off while rolling his eyes. "I don't have anymore swords and neither does this guy. Watch out for other weapons though."

"Fuck you!"

"After dinner, dear."

"Perverted piece of shit!"

The captain shook his head. "I don't know what's wrong with either or you, 'nd so far as I've seen, there's a hell of a lot 'rong with ya, but it's 'bout time to end this."

Ikkaku glared up, blood drying on his face and the splatters of his deceased opponent's turning to a dark red, nearly black. He was the picture of macabre when he grinned, and the embodiment of fear if he was angry. Again, the captain let his guard down at the frightening demeanor. "Well, this is quite fun. Really, I think so," Ikkaku looked down. "But all things have to come to an end and you don't even seem to like fighting."

"'Course not! What's to like 'bout killin' someone else? Just do it for getting by," the Captain answered.

"I'll squeeze some more fun out of the match, I think, but really it's coming to an end," Ikkaku said lowly. He stretched his arms out, and seemed to be trying to pop one of his shoulders back into place. A good five minutes passed while the Captain of the ship was staring, not believing how casual Ikkaku was taking the whole thing now.

However, it left a great opportunity to attack. Ikkaku was encompassed in his task, he wasn't even looking at his opponent. The Captain ran forward to attack with a firm punch, but Ikkaku stepped out of the way effortlessly and used the force of the blow to throw the large man by grabbing his wrist and pushing him down.

He'd have to remember to thank Yumichika for that move.

"What the hell?"

"I'm stronger than you, and you're getting boring. I had fun with my sword, but only fighting hand to hand, it's hard to get excited. The more I get slashed up, the more blood involved, the more interesting, but there's not going to be a whole lot of pouring cuts when I'm just punchin' the fuck out of you," Ikkaku said with a yawn. Despite what he'd just said, the rotting wood of the deck pierced the skin and was causing the larger man to have cuts all over his arms and face, with multiple pieces of the deteriorating deck lodged in many cuts.

"Even when I do cut you like this," Ikkaku said. "The wood in your cuts just stops the blood from comin' out too much. Might get the shit infected, but what fun is that? Specially since it ain't gonna matter, you're gonna be worm meat in a couple a minutes anyways."

Walking casually, Ikkaku made his way to the Captain, who'd stood up by then and was ready for whatever was coming. No matter how skilled Ikkaku was, he didn't have more physical strength. He didn't even have a lot of original techniques. He was a brute, a pirate, a drunkard. Just like his opponent. They should be evenly matched.

But they weren't. Ikkaku had the intent to kill built into his every attack. He was the peak of crazy murderous bastards. If he wanted you dead, chances are you were going to die. His opponent wasn't like that. His opponent lived only for the living, didn't care for fighting even if he was skilled at it, and he was only aiming to defend and not attack.

He was playing a losing game, and falling further danger by using a pitiful strategy. Ikkaku's rabid attacks were bound to break through and kill eventually. The Captain had never even bothered picking fights with people who weren't in the least bit afraid to die before, they were the most dangerous kind of opponent, and the first time he met with that type of person on the battlefield, he met his death.

Almost giving up and resigning himself to his fate, the man went out fighting as he had lived. His best attacks, firm and unmovable punches were easily dodged, and countered with firm kicks to the Solar plexus, stopping the heart.

"Where the hell is Yumichika?" Ikkaku asked, walking over to the area where his sword was embedded in the deck. Pulling it out, he realized that the man he killed didn't even know his name, and he didn't know the others name.

Was it so pointless, for the whole thing to happen as it did? Only happening because it was such a dull day, and both of the bloodthirsty men who'd climbed onto someone elses ship for the reason only that they wanted to.

Maybe it was, Ikkaku thought with a shrug of his shoulders. Living the way he did, killing anyone whom he pleased and doing as he wanted lead to a thousand incidents exactly like this, only with different faces.

"Ikkaku?" Yumichika asked, carrying a large bag full of things he'd likely sell off later.

"Hm?"

"Have fun with you match?"

"It was boring after he threw my sword, but before that, yeah."

Yumichika smiled. "I got a lot of stuff you can sell and buy a boat to leave."

"I thought I was going to take this one?"

"It's too big for us to operate by ourselves, idiot."

"Us?"

"I'm going with you, don't ask stupid things. It's boring here, nothing ever happened until this, and I don't want to live an ugly life."

Ikkaku scoffed. "Don't be stupid, being a pirate isn't fun all the time, or beautiful."

"You're going to be there," Yumichika answered with a smile.

"So..."

"We'll be a team."

"Whatever."

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The end! Ha. Kind of happy ending? It's cute. I'm happy now.

There should be a sequel if I feel like it later. The story was supposed to go on for a while longer, but that didn't happen and I like this.