Making Music Together [Mizu, Rose]

Her Captain's words were like a chastising slap to the back of her head. Mizu was momentarily taken aback, her ambitions crash landed back to Earth after nearly reaching the Heavens. He was entirely correct, of course. Her Bankai was no simple solution for easy problems. No Shinigami's Bankai was. It was a symbol of ultimate trust and power between herself and her Zanpakuto, something she understood well but needed Rose's rebuke to be reminded of it.

With a solemn bow, Mizu accepted Rose's criticism and advice with an open heart "Yes, of course Captain Ōtoribashi-sama. I should be grateful for this power, and treat it with the care and thoughtfulness it deserves." Again she gazed at her Zanpakuto, her thoughts filled with visions of those who have defeated her. If only I had Bankai flashed across her mind, but even if she did why would she have used it against some of these people? Would she really have used Bankai against Solomon in the Fight Night? How could such a thing be justified? Mizu clenched her fist around her sword's handle and shut her eyes tightly before sighing and dropped her sword arm back to her side and turning her eyes back to Rose.

"How...how should we proceed then, Captain?"

Rose had not intended to rain on Mizu's parade so terribly, but she was one of his best and brightest so perhaps he should take a little more care. Still, sometimes the only way a lesson would be learned was if it was stated so plainly. He had been on the receiving of such things more than a few times, even after becoming a Captain.

"We practice, dear. And you keep practicing until that confidence has already wormed its way into your heart. Then we refine it into the tool that you want it to be."

He remembered the struggle when he first achieved Bankai and the countless nights spent with Shinji and Love pushing himself beyond those old limitations. The efforts that he had gone to keep that power away from prying eyes. But that was his own choice, as few had a power quite like his own. The music was quite wonderful like that.

"So show me more of what you can do. You said you can control these shards? Can they be used to attack or defend? If so, do so."

With a simple flick of his wrist, Kinshara was once more floating before him. The sheathed sword slowly began to oscillate, as Rose turned to face Mizu directly. She should be more than capable of protecting herself whilst in Bankai, but he would still start off with something simple. It would be quite unsightly for him to tip the scales too weightily right off the bat. Chuckling, he strummed his fingers as if he were playing an invisible guitar and then - accompanied by a dazzling yellow light - a thin wire shot out from the centre of the Zanpakutō and sought to stab straight into Mizu. The sound of the chord resonated around the small courtyard, echoing through the emptiness as Rose went to strum again and repeat the attack.

Rose's words were a warming salve for Mizu who felt embarrassed by her own desperation. In this moment he reminded her a bit of her own father, a man she always looked up to who had always criticized and corrected her when necessary; the difference with Rose was, the blond Captain seemed to actually believe in her. She had never faulted her father for encouraging her to drop her ridiculous ambitions and dreams and aim for something more realistic, like being a technician of some kind where the most difficult aspect of her job would be the repetition of mundane work. After all, in her eyes he was just looking out for her. But now, as a seated officer in the Gotei, it was Rose's encouragement she needed, not what someone might think is realistic for her.

With an acknowledging nod Mizu took a battle stance and held her weapon in front of her with both hands. She prepared to attack but as she noticed Rose move to do the same, she opted to show the defensive prowess of her Bankai first. As the golden string shot toward her Mizu lightly flicked her wrists, causing hundreds of shards of crystals scattered around her to form a dense wall a dozen feet high in front of her to block it. Then she sought to show off its offensive power, so Mizu waved her ebony sword in front of her which signaled for many more of the crystal shards to form into a series of ornate spears that floated around her. With another flick of her wrist she commanded all eight of these intricately designed spears to launch at her Captain in a single threatening volley of violet.

"Hah, excellent, see how wonderfully it flows? Like a crystalline storm that dances to the rhythm of your heart. Keep it up!"

There was a burst of energy from Rose that mirrored his exclamation of enjoyment, a beaked mask suddenly encasing his face. The Captain was certainly the type to lose himself in the moment if the inspiration struck him, and he did need a little boost to match this burst of power that his subordinate had unleashed upon him. The manifestation gave his voice a hollow echo as he continued to laugh, but the smile that remained on his hidden face remained genuine.

"I must at least try to offer some accompaniment for you."

His Zanpakutō still hovering before him, Rose reached forwards and took a firm hold of one end as if it were the neck of a guitar. Pulling it closer to his chest, the Captain remained unflinching as the spears hurtled towards him, and then his other hand began to work those imaginary strings as if he were performing an intricate solo. His fingers moved with such nimble precision that such a piece had to be ingrained so deeply in his psyche, and the sound that he was emitting was a truly beautiful rendition, but it was not just music.

All at once, a storm of golden wires launched forwards from him and shot forwards to intercept her attack. Each spear was entwined by multiple threads as they attempted to hurtle through the barrage until Rose threw his hands wide and sent them scattering to both sides and around him. He stood tall, his gaze focused now upon Mizu, and awaited her next move quite eagerly.

This was the first time she had witnessed a Captain in action, and for it to be a living legend like Rose nearly stunned her in her place. Had her Zanpakuto still been sealed she may have been locked in total awe as he donned his infamous Hollow mask, but with the enhanced calming effect of her Bankai crystals all around her Mizu found herself clear minded and unafraid. She would show him her all, regardless of any kind of pedestal she held him upon.

Though beautiful, Mizu did not allow herself to become enthralled with Rose's music. Her focus was on his combat abilities, much of which she already knew about as she had poured over stories, databooks, and reports about him and other notable Shinigami from his era. She knew his powers involved music, that his Shikai is a whip, and that these golden wires are powerful enough to twist and tear Hollows. By the time they wrapped around her spears, Mizu had already developed countermeasures in her head to deal with them.

With a flick of her wrist, Mizu shattered all her spears into dozens of chunks of crystal each. These chunks quickly reformed into spiked balls that floated menacingly around Rose, almost forming a dome of amethyst with him at its center. Then, with another flourish, she commanded all of them to hurl at her Captain to crush and eviscerate him on all sides. Even as Mizu fiercely looked on as her Bankai sought to destroy her latest mentor, she doubted he would come away with anything more than a scratch or two, if that.

Dismantling Mizu's first volley had enabled a second one, and Rose was quick to notice that his threads were not going to be enough to protect him from this altogether more encompassing attack. Fortunately, that was far from the only instrument in his orchestra, as his hand wrapped around the sheath of his weapon and his stance shifted from that of a musician into a hardened warrior. Lilac eyes assessed this dome as it began to close in, waiting until it seemed like he was truly trapped before finally that beak-like mask levelled in Mizu's direction.

"A deadly offence too, truly it is almost a shame to damage it so but I would not wish for you to think that I went too easily. Sonata number four, I think, will be our dance number."

Flicking his free hand outwards, Kinshara flew free from the scabbard of its own volition and into his grasp. A wave of sound boomed within the purple prison, stalling those enclosing walls of crystal for but a moment before a burst of yellow light blasted a chunk out of the wall. The golden flower of Kinshara, now in its first release state, followed in the explosion's wake and with it came the valiant Captain soaring through the air at speed. In but a flash he had crossed the distance between them in a single step, the sound of music unceasing as a mighty crescendo echoed from his previous location within the dome.

His assault was not only audial, though, as that golden whip went to wrap around his subordinate as he darted toward her. Not so tight that he would rend her in twain or anything too catastrophic, but enough that she might have to think twice before calling in those crystals again. It would have been all too easy to end it for good, but that was not Rose's style, never his style, and those ill thoughts were buried just as fast as they surfaced.

"You are one to watch out for, I think, Miss Mizu. Bravo, I say!"

Proving her prophetical, Rose managed to smash through the wall of violet spiked balls and traverse the well-worn arena in a flash. The potent combination of his Hollow mask and Shikai was enough to overwhelm her juvenile Bankai without too much trouble. Against an opponent like this what could Mizu do besides capitulate? But this wasn't all she had to offer, and surrender wasn't in Mizu's vocabulary. After all, it was her ingenuity that had gotten her this far, not "power".

Almost too quick to react to, Mizu found herself wrapped up by Rose's golden Zanpakuto. She struggled helplessly against it which was tight enough to prevent her escape, but not so tight so as to squeeze the life out of her like a boa. The blade-less handle of her Zanpakuto was squeezed tight against her thigh, causing minor discomfort for the Fourth Seat. Even as she found herself helpless at Rose's whim, Mizu appreciated the compliments he showered her in.

"Thank you..ugh..Captain Ōtoribashi-sama. I am eternally grateful to have such a Bankai, one where my experiences with my Shikai have allowed me to use it comfortably. One other thing I've learned from my experiences though, Captain...is to always have a backup plan." As she said this the blade that once belonged to her Zanpakuto, which had been discarded while Rose's vision was obscured by the wall of crystal spheres earlier, elevated and pointed at the nape of his neck. Her increased ability to manipulate her Zanpakuto in Bankai compared to Shikai allowed her to move it around with near-imperceptible movements of her wrist, and relocate it to behind him, her struggles against his own Shikai a feint to draw his attention.

"If I couldn't figure out a way out of this Captain Ōtoribashi-sama, I wouldn't be worthy of the praise you've given me!"

“Ah, you are quite right. I have not yet heard the calls for an encore but the stands would truly be singing right now.”

That his subordinate possessed such dogged determination was only to her credit, and it did put her Captain in quite the little predicament. He too was not the type to simply throw down his weapon and lament at the first kiss of defeat, but she had perhaps rather cunningly played into his weakness. An unwillingness to injure his beloved comrades. Of course, perhaps her actions were motivated to be desperation but the fact remained that she had left her body entirely at his mercy for this underhand strike.

“You are adapting quickly, perhaps too quickly, so do not forget the other tools you have at your disposal.”

Twirling around at a speed even Rose could only manage with the enchantment of both Shikai and Vizard mask, he both unraveled Mizu from her bind and pulled her towards him whilst his recoiling weapon raised to shield him from her strike. Then, using that twist in momentum, his free hand launched forwards and made to unload a series of blisteringly fast punches in her direction. Kensei would have called it a Sandbag Beat, but Rose would never stand to name something so garishly so he let his actions speak louder than any words.

Whether that was enough to bring Mizu down or not, Rose would back off in the wake of his blows. That beak-like mask slowly crumbling away as the face of the Captain was revealed once more.

A more naive Shinigami may allow themselves to indulge in an arrogant smirk from a perceived victory, even one as minor as this. But Mizu stayed stalwart and stoic as she faced down her Captain, knowing one such as he could never be defeated so easily. She could have him locked away in an Iron Maiden with no avenue of escape, no Zanpakuto in hand, and no tool left at his disposal, and still she would not underestimate him. After all, Mizu thought, just because she can't come up with a way to win doesn't mean there is no method remaining.

"If I cannot win in a test of strength, then I must be ready to use all other tactics available to me. And believe me Captain Ōtoribashi-sama, I am not arrogant enough to think I can defeat you through normal means!"

Even as she acknowledged the disparity between them, Mizu did not expect herself to be so thoroughly overwhelmed only a moment later. She found herself unable prevent her body from being yanked toward Rose, and as his fist lifted to strike her Mizu could do little more than raise her own hands in a feeble attempt to guard herself. She quickly felt the pain of a deluge of blows rained upon her and a second later she was tossed back and to the ground from the cumulative force of Rose's attacks.

"Ugh..." Mizu groaned as she slowly rolled herself over. She felt like she had fallen down a flight of stairs face-first. She dragged herself first to one knee and then back to a standing position, her legs shaky beneath her. Tasting blood, Mizu couldn't be sure if it was from her mouth or her nose so she lifted her left fist and wiped away at her top lip, revealing it had come from the latter as her knuckles were now painted crimson. Her golden eyes raised to meet Rose's own, the fire that had once been them now battered and flickering. "See? Called it..."

Seeing Mizu tumble away from him, having born the brunt of his physical assault, Rose was certainly satisfied that this bout was over. He would chastise her if she chose to attempt to proceed, though her injuries were far from so severe that she would be incapable of doing so, as this was the limit of how far the Captain was willing to push her today. In a flash of golden light, Kinshara vanished and returned to its sealed state. The sword hovered in the air for a moment, waiting for an invisible order, before shooting back into the scabbard on its wielders waist.

“That is the end of our performance, for today, I think. What kind of Captain would I be if I beat you down simply because I thought I could? No, no. It should be my pleasure to raise you up, and - Officer Morikawa - you are certainly worthy of that.”

Bowing his head, it was the Captain’s turn to act humbly in acknowledgement of Mizu’s triumphs. In truth, he could hardly be more proud of his subordinate and how far she had come in such a short period of time. It felt like only yesterday when he had inducted her into the lower echelons of his officer corps, and now she was quickly surpassing many of the veterans that he had also called upon. It was enough to bring a tear to his eye, for he could see her passion and how it now strained against the confines of his division. How long would it be before the first of his dear birds flew the nest in search of greener pastures?

He approached slowly, a tenderness to his gaze as it lingered upon her injuries, but a hand outstretched to offer her support should she require it. Even some kaido would be offered, if she would permit it, just to see to the most superficial of her injuries.

“We should probably stop by the Second Division on the way back to the barracks, I believe Captain Kuchiki owes me a favour and it is always worth getting a free check up.”

With a wry smirk, Rose straightened out his posture again. Any vestiges of hostility having long since faded away, as her Captain made to escort Mizu away from this stage upon which she had bore a piece of her soul to him.