Up Until Then [Kyo, Mizu]

When Morikawa Mizu received her boyfriend's message asking if she had some free time, her heart nearly leapt out of her chest. Did she have free time? For him?! She couldn't think of a better person to be with today, her tired brain and body desperate to escape the maw of work. In the past she would never have left anything undone, any amount of work unfinished, but for Kyo she was more than willing to make an exception.

Having doled out orders to a couple of her squadmates in the Second, Mizu was satisfied with the state of things at the Barracks. For now, at least. Tomorrow would no doubt bring its fair share of problems to resolve, but that was for then! After adjusting her Shihakushō and hair so that she seemed slightly less out of sorts, Mizu grabbed her Zanpakuto from where it leaned against her desk, clipped it to her hip, and made her way out of the Division and out onto a nearby Seireitei street where she agreed to meet Kyo. Like every other time she met up with her own personal shining Sun, butterflies filled Mizu's stomach as she waited to be whisked away from this place.

The way Kyo spoke to her, as if he was the elder one in this relationship, always managed to turn Mizu's cheeks an embarrassed scarlet. She was after all older than him by a handful of years, and even a Vice Captain; yet here he was calling her a fine young lady. Her attention shifted from his words to his hands as he held out a bouquet for her to take, which she gratefully did before quickly thanking him "They're beautiful, thank you Kyo!"

As she lifted and smelled the pink and red flowers, Mizu heard the mention of dinner and relaxation and her smile grew even more, her cheeks nearly hurting from the wide grin pushing against them. Tilting her head back, she turned her golden orbs up to stare into Kyo's and spoke again, her voice like a songbird's "That sounds just wonderful...I can't think of anything else I'd rather do right now."

Looking into Kyo's eyes lit a fire in her, empowering Mizu with a, likely temporary, amount of assertiveness. Reaching out, she interlaced her fingers with his and gently held his hand before taking the lead and heading in the direction of his family's manor.

In Mizu's mind, there were no connotations or implications associated with being invited to a boy's room; a naivety born of inexperience. Even if she had known about these stereotypes, she probably still would've been comfortable accepting an invitation from a man she trusts so thoroughly like Kyo, though perhaps her face would've been even redder somehow.

"I don't mind at all as long as I'm with you, Kyo." said Mizu lovingly as they walked hand-in-hand through the Seireitei. Being complimented in such a way, particularly by a man, was still something Mizu was getting to used to. This was her first relationship, and growing up she was never the one amongst her siblings showed such affection. All she could do when Kyo spoke to her like this was smile until it hurts.

As they neared the Sawachika estate, Mizu more and more caught herself looking up and staring at Kyo's face as he looked ahead, admiring every sharp, chiseled angle he had. How had she gotten so lucky? Some days she couldn't understand, nor comprehend it. Somehow, some way, Mizu had managed to convince this statue of a man to settle for someone like her. Letting out a deep sigh, she gripped Kyo's thick arm with her other hand and rested her head against him as they kept walking.