Prompt: Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.

Sea Breeze

Zaraki Kenpachi shifted uncomfortably, the formal starched uniform of a newly recognized captain feeling strange and constricting. He would have much preferred to stay in the blood-stained clothes he had been wearing for as long as he could remember, at least they smelled like battle and moved with him in a fight; these pristine clothes made him imagine weeks and months of sitting at a desk instead of doing what he loved the best.

He looked along the line of captains who had gathered to acknowledge him as the new 11th squad captain and tried to put names to faces; all the while assessing how interesting they might be to fight, unfortunately for him he saw nobody he thought might even make him break a sweat. He was suddenly aware that the old man at the front, Yamamoto something-or-other, had been rambling on for quite some time and he hadn't been listening; he tuned in just in time to hear the dismissal.

"So what do ya do for fun around here?" he asked, his gruff voice echoing in the hall. "Who do ya fight?"

For a long moment there was utter silence as the other captains merely stared at him; some with open disapproval and others with a sort of resigned weariness; only one man seemed to be thinking of a way to alleviate the awkward situation. A sickly pallid man at the end who looked like a strong breeze would finish him off stepped forwards with a small smile; when he spoke it had the air of a peacemaker about it, as though he were only offering what he did so the others would not think too badly of the ignorant new captain.

"I would be honoured to spar with you."

At his words a quiet murmur ran through the hall gradually getting louder with each passing second; Kenpachi didn't know what all the fuss was about, of all the captains assembled here this one looked the least likely to put up a fight. Still, at least he had offered and it would be idiotic to refuse; after all he could easily wrap up this fight in moments if he felt like it.

Giving a gruff nod he turned and led the way out of the meeting hall and into the bright sunlight of the open courtyard; the other captains spread out along the edges with expressions of almost hungry anticipation. The lone figure of the thin man - Uki...um...something... - stood opposite him and unsheathed his zanpakutou slowly, holding it out in a ready position, both blade and white hair gleaming in the sunlight.

"Do you wish to impose any rules?" Ukitake questioned softly, politely. "For example, the restriction of shikai or bankai as they may prove an unfair advantage for me?"

Kenpachi could have laughed out loud at the thought of this underfed weakling presenting a challenge but he merely smirked and shook his head; let him use whatever fancy tricks he had up his sleeves, the fight would still go to Kenpachi.

The first and last indicator Zaraki Kenpachi had that he had made a huge mistake in underestimating this enemy was the faint tang of sea air on the breeze.