The Art Of Gen-Kido (Hannah, Erica)

It felt like an age since she’d last set foot in the academy for a lesson but the excitement that was causing her limbs to tingle had not changed since then. She was looking forward to today, a rare one where she was not spending the majority of it in the infirmary, not that she despised her job or anything. On the contrary, to heal was what gave her the utmost pleasure and as the pink haired young Shinigami walked through the halls, she briefly thought back over her days as an academy student with a smile. How many hours had she spent in the library, reading over every paper and scrap of information that she could find in her chosen field? That hunger hadn’t diminished post graduation either and her trip to the academy today was of course to learn something new. A special form of healing kido that had been created by an incredibly talented member of the staff. Her curiosity had been instantly piqued and once that happened then that was pretty much the end of it, she just had to know.

Dressed in the standard Shinigami uniform, Erica would soon enough reach the door to Hannah’s classroom but just as she was about to knock, she paused, wondering if she was being a little rude. Her curiosity was perfectly genuine and so were her motives for wanting to learn but what if she was being pushy by appearing out of the blue and asking? The thought knocked her confidence momentarily but after that had passed, she would softly knock on the door, before entering.

“Instructor Chiza? May I have a word please?” She asked softly, before taking a breath to settle her excitement and nerves.

The door would slide open as the woman knocked, and there stood Hannah. Lithe and dressed in a distinctly not Shinigami uniform, there was testament to her skill in that she was allowed to come teach despite being clearly not one of them.

"Just call me Hannah" she would state, looking up from her sheets in front of her. The eyes were glazed over, never seeming to settle on an one thing and being a little off-center when they did. But she could clearly sense in some capacity, so wasn't put out by the lack. "What is it you require, dear?"

Erica would have to admit that she was a little surprised, expecting to find herself talking with another Shinigami, but it didn’t faze the healer at all nor dimmed her curiosity at all. In fact, if anything, it only grew in intensity. The pink haired woman liked to think that she had an open mind and her eagerness to learn pushed her forwards, any nerves seeming to melt away due to the softness of Hannah’s voice.

“My name is Erica Tolvan, one of the newest healers in the 2nd Division and I was hoping that you’d be willing to teach me a few healing techniques. I feel like I’ve gotten the hang of standard kaido and I’m constantly trying to improve my skills with it but no matter how many hours I put in, I don’t seem to be healing an awful lot faster. I’m concerned that in the field, my techniques are going to be too slow to do the job. I’d heard rumours that you’d developed a form of healing kaido which can work at a faster rate and I’d dearly love to at least try to learn it.”

"That's because you are watching" Hannah would reply, turning from her pages and walking up to the woman. "The irony of progression is that the closer and more intently you watch it, the more likely you are to miss your steps upon the road to advancement. Most people advance at a shuffle, and so clock-watching will delude you into thinking you aren't moving, because you are too caught up glancing every few hours to see if you've made any progress.

What you need to do, is step back and take a broad view of where you started, vs where you are now. It is there, that will show you how far you have come, and what you miss in the moment"

Putting her hands in front of her, she would nod to the woman about the other half.

"And the anxiety of the Battlefield's oppressive time limit is exactly the driving force behind the creation of my Gen-Kido. The, "Battlefield Kaido" if you will. Though, it raises an interesting question. There is delight and freedom in creating your own thing, in learning through your own exploration of Self. Do you want to endeavour to make your own, or would you prefer the expediency of learning mine?"

It was great advice and Erica pondered over Hannah’s words regarding progression for a bit. They were true and when the pink haired woman pondered over her skills now compared to her first day, she could understand what Hannah meant. “I appreciate your words of wisdom.” She replied with a small smile. “I’ll do my best to focus on the broad view rather than the narrow one from now on.”

To hear about Hannah’s unique form of kido caused a mental lightbulb to go off in Erica’s head. It sounded simply perfect and she was certainly eager to try her hand at. The question posed to her, however, caused her to pause from saying what she originally planned to. Did she want to simply perform an imitation of Hannah’s own? Kido, in her mind, was an art form in itself, where one could spend hours creating masterpieces, given they had the creative spark. Yet, despite that viewpoint, how many new spells had she used which were of her own design? The answer wasn’t a pleasant one for her to realise.

With that thought in mind, she’d answer truthfully. “I wish to learn the fundamentals of Gen-Kido but I don’t want to rob you of the uniqueness of your art. I hope that I will be able to branch off in a different direction with the knowledge that you give me, turning it into something new. I think that I’ve spent too long just following the library textbooks and I need to open my eyes a little more to what kido is truly all about.”

"Good Girl" Hannah would coo, reaching out to pat the woman's head. And then, she spoke about following library text books for too long, to which Hannah shook her head.

"There is never too long to establish your foundations in Kido. It is dangerous and unpredictable, and can be crippling to use wrong" Hannah would ponder for a moment; Pharaoh was a bit too flashy to pull off here, though she could run a modification.

"Kokū" she spoke, creating a modified Danku that swallowed the Kido rather than blocked it.

"So, as to see where you stand, hit the Koku. Full force, every ounce, don't how a drop back"

Erica’s cheeks turned slightly pink as she was unexpectedly patted on the head. That was certainly a surprise although she didn’t feel patronised or anything like that, she simply rolled with it, as she always tried to do. It was a nice gesture though and the vibrantly haired woman was becoming quite fond of her new teacher already. She had a way about her that made Erica smile and the healer was most definitely appreciative that Hannah had agreed to help her with her studies. To hear that her hours in the library had not been a waste was also of great comfort to her and she’d do her utmost to remember Hannah’s advice on the subject.

She raised a curious eyebrow when Hannah used a spell of her own, eager to learn the differences between her Koku and a regular Danku but it seemed like it was something that she’d get to see for herself soon enough, as Hannah asked her to attack it. For a moment or two, Erica’s smile would fade, as a slight feeling of apprehension fell upon her. She had of course learned the standard Hadō and the woman was confident enough in her abilities to pull them off, it was just her natural pacifism that raised an issue in the back of her mind. The thought of casting such spells against another being was difficult for her to think about. Even now, when simply being asked to cast against another spell, it gave her a moment's pause.

Shaking her head, she’d eventually reply with. “Alright. I’ll do my best.”

Moving back to give herself a little space, Erica would briefly consider the options at her disposal, before beginning her chant. "Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens. Hadō 73 Sōren Sōkatsui!”

From her palms, a duo of blue coloured blasts would fire from her hands, hurtling towards the blonde woman’s defensive spell at great speed. Erica could feel the rush of her spell as it left her, feeling pretty good that she’d cast it well but she still couldn’t help but feel that nagging sensation about just who she may be casting such a spell against one day.

The spell would hit the barrier, and be absorbed into it, which then collapsed in on itself and vanished in a moment. Hannah, would nod her head softly at the woman's skill.

"A good grasp of Kido. Though also, why that one? Most people your skill tend to want the iconic Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō" Hannah would comment. "There was also a bit of hesitation, before agreeing. Are you particularly comfortable with using Hadō and other means of violence at your disposal?" Hannah would ask, cocking her head a little.

The answer to Hannah’s question was a little slow in coming as Erica spent some time trying to figure out how best to answer. Her face again fell slightly, the usual enthusiasm briefly disappearing from it. The discomfort that she felt would be easy to detect and even her voice seemed to be lacking its usual cheer when she finally did speak. Erica adored so much of the Shigami life but there was just that one particular aspect that troubled her on a personal level.

“I’m not a violent person and I feel uncomfortable when it comes to casting more powerful spells. It’s not that I can’t cast spells like Hadō 88, it’s more of a case of I don’t want to. I don’t feel any pride in being able to cause destruction with my Kido and instead I feel pity for those that are harmed by it. I’m a pacifist at my core and the entire reason I joined the Gotei was to save lives rather than end them. It’s difficult enough for me to stomach the thought of killing with Kido but during my days in the Academy where I had to train in arts such as Hakuda, the feeling was far worse because I was fighting with my own hands, if you get what I mean.”

There was no lie in her voice, just the honest truth.

"Then I can not teach you" Hannah would state simply, at the end of Erica's words. There was no judgement nor vitriol attached, just a simple terminology.

"Stay in the barracks, support your brothers and sisters there. Sharpen your Kido and your medicine, and help people that come into the infirmary. Do not go out into the battlefield. Do not join patrol squads or rescue squads. Do not concern yourself with applications of the sword nor Kido, focus your whole heart to Kaido.

Because the Battlefield is vicious, uncaring, and equal in the extreme. Your second's hesitation to strike a being down, is another person's life. And a woman like you is made to save lives, not end them. Let another take your place, one who can strike down Hollows without the hesitation that brings about the end"