Showoff[Byakuya, Hiroe]

The dreamer was back in action. After overcoming her traumatic experience and tackling her personal demons regarding death, Hiroe was on cloud nine. The moment she returned to the academy, she was met with applause from her circle of female friends, and she wasted no time in flaunting the fact she had learned her zanpakuto's name and the basic principle of her immature shikai. It was her source of pride, and she wasn't going to humble herself for one moment! Let her have her moment, you know? Of course, Hiroe was no fool. There were many more obstacles to overcome if she truly desired to see her dream come to fruition, and to no one's surprise, she had resumed her training and studies at such an exceptional rate that even her teachers were impressed with how serious she seemed to be taking things now. It was almost as if she was a whole new person. Her body, her aura, the very way she strode from each class to the next - Hiroe was radiating absolute confidence in her form.

Reaching her Zanjutsu class, Hiroe grabbed her zanpakuto, unsheathing the weapon as she engaged in a solo performance, swinging the katana with poise and precision, each slash of the blade carried out with a purpose. Of course, she caught wind of something rather interesting before she made her way here. One of her classmates had told her that the Byakuya Kuchiki had visited their class the other day, spectating their performances in silence. Hiroe wasn't a major history buff, but she had never lived under a rock, either! Byakuya Kuchiki was one of the Soul Society's finest and most storied captains. A fine warrior, a dutiful noble, and a handsome man! Who wouldn't be excited about the idea of impressing him of all people? Ahhh. What if he was here today? If he was, Hiroe would certainly put on one hell of a show and impress him! Already, she was daydreaming a fantasy of impressing him so much that he took her under his wing! From the corners of her eyes, she hadn't seen him yet, but she was definitely keeping a watchful eye....

Hiroe Miyashiro

After is visit the other day, Byakuya found the names of a few students that were deemed as extraordinary. One of those last names was of a young woman that recently gained her shikai. Gaining ones shikai in the academy was an impressive feat, one that brought Byakuya back into the halls of Shinō Academy.

Byakuya arrived earlier in the day this time, figuring there was a greater chance that student in question would be present. After asking one of the instructors, he learned which class she was in and made his way that direction. Finding her in a zanjutsu class was fitting since it was the subject most interesting to him. As Byakuya found the class, he opened the door and stepped in. As expected, there was an immediate shift in the atmosphere among the students that he ignored. He did not automatically know which student was it, as there were two or three with a decent amount of reiatsu here, but nothing immediately stood out.

Byakuya planted himself at the edge of the classroom, not blocking the door, and silently began watching the performances of the students here. As normal, his expression carried nothing with it. He was silent and his eyes washed over the crowd, giving the students an equal amount of attention, searching for something that made someone stand out and waiting for the name 'Hiroe' to be said.

After going through a solid routine featuring an array of techniques she learned through training, Hiroe took a deep breath. A breathing technique to compose her spirit for the next sequence. Students were typically allowed to prepare themselves before they were chosen in pairs to evaluate their current level of skill, ideally to see where there needed to improve and where their most potent strengths lied most. Did they rely on speed? Or was strength more their forte? It wasn't an exact science, and no one was a finished product by any means, but Hiroe valued this class since it kept her relatively focused.

There was no slacking off here in the Zanjutsu Hall. Of course, curiosity compelled the fledgling Shinigami to cast her gaze wide, inquisitive eyes sweeping through the room in search of Byakuya Kuchiki. Lo and behold, those excitable golden eyes recognized the undoubtedly graceful and familiar form of the man who once wore the title of captain. In a less composed setting, she would've ran over and asked for an autograph, but he didn't seem to be the type to engage in that sort of nonsense, and so she simply resolved to find contentment in his presence and the idea of putting on an impressive performance. Sighing softly, even if a little giddiness seeped through in her tone, Hiroe waited to hear her name called out for the sparring matches.

Surrounded by the group of students, a teacher stepped forward, observing the students that stood out to her most, and since Hiroe hadn't wasted a moment in letting the entire class know she had learned Shikai recently, the mature woman decided to announce two names in particular that seemed to excel quite well in her class.

"Hiroe Miyashiro. Haruhi Mikata. Please come to the center of the classroom and display your respective skills before the class."

And with that, the first sparring match began. Hiroe had set her zanpakuto to the side in favor of a training sword that was dulled to a point where neither student would suffer any wounds - bruises, perhaps, but certainly no more than that. Training sword in hand, Hiroe settled into the Jodan posture - the stance of fire oft-utilized in Kendo. With the sword held upright above her head, Hiroe swiftly charged toward her opponent Haruhi, who had adopted the Chudan posture, a middle stance employed with a thrust to end the battle with a single hit.

However, she didn't account for the woman's improved skill in shifting the momentum of her body as Hiroe reversed course, shifting backward on her backfoot before swinging the blade forward in a downward arc, striking her classmate at the shoulder, sliding in with her opposite leg to literally sweep the woman off of her legs as she fell backwards. Hiroe pointed the sword towards her with a playful expression before helping her up as she turned towards her teacher.

The teacher was visibly impressed with the improved swordplay, offered her praise, and allowed Hiroe, who was now sashaying across the room to sit down and wait for the other matches to conclude. Next, she'd be able to use her shikai, and really impress him! That little clash there was just the sample of her capability.

There were a few students that caught Byakuya's attention. Their techniques weren't horrid and they showed some potential. These students were graced with a couple extra seconds of observation. Unknown to him, one of the students that had caught his attention was indeed Hiroe. It wasn't long before his presence inspired the teacher to call pairs for sparring matches. He moved away from his original position to get a better view of the upcoming matches. To his surprise, one of the first students called was the one he was looking for: Hiroe Miyashiro.

Byakuya's critical eye fell on the woman. He watched her from the moment she began, taking note of her stance, her grip, her footwork, her intensity, and her ability to perform under the pressure of a spar and his own presence. She didn't seem nervous, good. It wasn't long before Hiroe's decisions led to her victory, a swift leg sweep that brought the opponent to the ground. An adequate performance.

The sparring matches moved on as pairs were called for more sparring. Byakuya took note of another student there, Hideki Sato, but still felt Hiroe was likely the superior of the two. He wondered how Hiroe would fair against the young man he also saw potential in. For now, he continued to observe the class, waiting for the next test that the students would be put through. Luckily, Hiroe was first again.

Her first round had ended in victory, but Hiroe was no fool. She wasn't going to rest on her laurels now. Between each match that took place after her own, Hiroe paced herself back and forth, repeating alternate stance patterns, slashing her sword towards an invisible foe - each strike carrying with it a poise and focus that kept her focused on the task at hand. She was excited to a considerable degree, though it hardly appeared that way at first glance. It would be quite unmindful to lose focus here now, not when the man of the hour was present and theoretically observing her in silence.

The moment her name was chosen again, her gaze quickly shifted to Hideki Sato. In comparison to her, he was considerably taller, with a firm posture and musculature hidden beneath his Shinoretsujin Uniform. He didn't appear to be one who would fall as easily as Haruhi, and Hiroe needed to win one more sparring match before she could showcase and display her Shikai. Walking to the center of the training hall, surrounded by her classmates, Hiroe offered a polite bow, and Sato offered the same courteous gesture in return.

Swinging her arm down to signify the match, the teacher stepped away to allow the students to engage in combat. The moment the match begins, Hideki is already swinging his blade downward from above, executing a well-timed vertical slash toward Hiroe's shoulder. Seamlessly shifting into a defensive stance, Hiroe brought her sword forward in an upward swing, precisely at the moment she expected him to attack, diverting his downward slash a few meters off it's intended course.

The sudden deflection created a momentary gap in his defense, and Hiroe wasted no time in seizing the opportunity that presented itself before her eyes. There was no use in executing a leg sweep against a man who wouldn't fall easily - as such, Hiroe gracefully employed shunpo to appear in his direct radius, locking off any possible angle he could immediately counter her attack. Without hesitation, she executed a flurry of strikes at his abdomen.

Vertical, Horizontal, Diagonal - no movement was spared at his expense. Without a way to properly defend himself, he stumbled back in the face of her relentless offensive pursuit. In short order, he was defeated and Hiroe had won her second match. Out the corner of her eye, she could spot the watchful eyes of Byakuya Kuchiki. Sighting the man and acknowledging his presence was enough to make her grin from ear to ear.

Words couldn't even begin to illustrate how excited she was right now. She was putting on a fine display. Now, all she needed to do now was display her Shikai in a combat based setting, and she'd really show him what she was made of! After the next matches concluded, the students who won their respective rounds would be instructed to go toward a courtyard outside to showcase their Shikai and engage in light to heavy-contact combat.

"Just you wait, you haven't seen anything yet..." She murmured, clearly feeling herself at the moment.

As Byakuya stood silent and observed the class through each match, he glanced over to Hiroe Miyashiro as she continued practicing. This was the young woman that Kaito had told him about. Her determination and focus were impressive, as was the match he witnessed. It was possible that she deserved the offer of training with him as well. Instead of making that decision now, he'd continue watching.

As Hiroe's next match came, Byakuya crossed his arms and focused more on the technique he saw here. How would she fair against an opponent larger than her? Her posture and eyes gave no hint to fear. The man's powerful strike was dodged and Hiroe performed three well done strikes in quick succession. For her level and experience, she was showing to be the exceptional student Kaito mentioned. And when Hiroe looked back to him, he gave her a quick nod, a gesture of approval.

The next set of matches ended, and Byakuya followed the class out to the courtyard to watch the few students that had apparently gained shikai. To gain shikai within the academy was an impressive feat. In fact, of the seven who won their rounds, only two of them could truly claim shikai, and one of them was Hiroe Miyashiro. Knowing that raised his interest even more, so he paid attention to both.

This time, Hiroe was not the first to step up. Instead, a young man named Kiyoshi Tanaka was called on first. He stepped up and glanced to Byakuya before raising his sword. He called out his zanpakuto's name and the blade ignited in a purple flame. Kiyoshi displayed its abilities by doing a few sword swings and then striking a target. The fire did nothing more, and seemed to act like normal fire. That wasn't entirely surprising. It was a new, immature shikai, so he'd develop it over time.

Now, it was Hiroe Miyashiro's turn...

Hiroe was uncertain as to whether or not her eyes were deceiving her, but did he give her a nod of approval? Or were her eyes playing tricks on her? He had hardly approached her, and yet, that simple acknowledgement, even if only a small sample, was enough to ignite her spirits several times over. All she needed to do was drive it home, and bring everything she had learned from training with Denkosekka into reality. Her mind remained determined as the group of students headed toward the courtyard reserved for training and zanpakuto demonstration.

Seven had won their rounds, but only two could lay claim to possessing a shikai. Her, and another student named Kiyoshi. Standing beside a few of her fellow classmates, she quietly observed the purple flame emanating from his blade. It wasn't much to write home about in particular, but neither was her shikai honestly, though you wouldn't catch the aspiring dreamer admitting that to everyone else. Nope! After he finished his demonstration, earning his fair share of applause from his peers, Hiroe took a deep breath once her name was called, stepping towards the center. She requested a training target to cut down. After her request was honored, Hiroe took a few meters backward, settling into a posture reminiscent of Iaido. With her fingers gripping tightly around the hilt, Hiroe stepped forward with her right leg, exhaling softly in preparation.

"Vanish..."

In the blink of an eye, Denkosekka's blade entered a form of absolute transparency, as if the sword had suddenly transformed into something that was constructed of glass, as if the blade was invisible. With the Tsuba extending out in the shape of a snowflake, Hiroe set her eyes on the target standing between her and earning that final measure of approval from Byakuya Kuchiki!

"Denkosekka!"

In a blinding flash, likely imperceptible to anyone but Byakuya, Hiroe shot forward at a speed so fierce that everyone who witnessed the sight was rendered speechless. It was if a lightning bolt had was flashing through the air. Now, what was the result of all this? Naturally, she had succeeded in cutting down her target. Of course, what she didn't account for was learning how to measure her momentum, and that made the entire execution go to waist. Her body was unable to stop to pause during her charge, and she went crashing head first into a tree. No way. Really? Come on. Of all the times to... well, she couldn't think about that right now, she went out cold due to the fierce impact, and her students went over to drag the woman back.

Talk about a massive fail.

Hiroe's display started off impressive. Her blade appeared unique and elegant. Hiroe, herself, was focused and did implement her strike as well as she could have. The target was destroyed, but as she dashed like lightning toward the target, things ended up going wrong. Byakuya thought to interfere, but instead watched as she just kept going. Unable to stop, Hiroe went flying and crashed into a tree head first.

A single shunpo and Byakuya was at her side. She was unconscious. A quick check of her head found a small bit of blood, likely from the bark. Since Hiroe fell out, Byakuya scooped the young woman into his arms and looked to the instructor and her worried classmates. "Continue your training; I will get her to a medic."

With no other words, Byakuya shunpo'd off and made his way to the small clinic the academy had. He explained the situation to the person present and laid her down where he was instructed. He waited outside, letting Hiroe be taken care of by them, but asking to be notified when she woke up. Until then, he patiently waited.

"Truly, you have so much to learn, my little child of the clouds. An attack without balance is an attack without purpose."

In her inner world, Hiroe was frowning as she stood face to face with the woman adorned within the robe of a samurai - her gaze stern, yet humored by the collision that took place in the world. Hiroe grimaced, throwing her hands up in defeat at the unfortunate turn of events.

"I was so close, too. Moments away from having a legendary captain taking me under my wing. Now, I don't even know if I want to show my face in class tomorrow... Ugh."

"A momentary failure is simply that - momentary. An insignificant fragment of time. Your students might well mock you for it, but that doesn't discount how well you performed beforehand. Who knows, the next time you wake up, maybe you'll find that your efforts weren't entirely in vain. Either way, you still have much to learn. Until next time, my little child of the clouds."

Finally phasing back into reality, Hiroe woke up from her self-induced slumber, wincing at the pain she felt at the center of her lightly bandaged head. She was probably concussed. There was no doubt about it. She wondered who brought her here in the first place, turning toward a school nurse who provided her with that information. It wasn't one of her peers, but Byakuya Kuchiki himself.

For a moment, she wondered if the nurse was making humor at her expense, rolling her eyes as if she felt insulted. No need to rub salt on the wounds, you know? Rising up from the bed as she held her head, Hiroe bowed to the nurse, exiting the infirmary to find her gaze setting on... Byakuya Kuchiki. The noble she had been trying to impress. Oh... so the lady back there was telling the truth. She remained silent, clearly nervous, prepared to hear how terrible her Shikai performance was....

"B-Byakuya-Sama... I... my apologies."

That's all she could stammer out at the moment, preparing herself for the worst-case scenario.

It was almost at the hour mark before anything in the room began to stir. Byakuya stayed quiet outside, sitting on one of the benches provided for people to wait. His arms were crossed, his eyes closed. He could hear some mumbling and soon, the door opened. Byakuya looked up, expecting the nurse, but it was Hiroe herself. As she stood there in silence, clearly stunned by his presence, he stood up. Instead of talking to her, he walked passed her and spoke to the nurse instead.

"She struck her head; is she healthy enough to walk around?" Byakuya asked.

"Yes, I applied some use of kaido to prevent any swelling," the nurse said. "She'll barely have a bruise. Though, she should take it easy for a few days just in case."

"Thank you." Byakuya said, nodding and turning to Hiroe as she apologized.

"Don't apologize, Miyashiro," Byakuya said. "Your shikai is young, and with training, you will improve. Be proud that, unlike most of your classmates, you can access it. In fact, I came to observe because I was informed by another of your progress."