Training Days [Mizu, Hana]

Mizu could tell something was off almost immediately. Her spiritual sensing told her Hana's energy was stronger with fewer fluctuations this time, but it was obvious the energy was not going to be dispelled appropriately. At the moment of release Hana was like an athlete with a hitch or a singer freezing in the moment. Too much second-guessing was causing a choke in her spiritual energy, and her spell backfired as a result.

Seeing the nasty, though minor, burn on her hand Mizu quickly stepped forward and wrapped Hana's injured hands in her own. A green light spread from her grasp and spread warmth through Hana's arm as Mizu performed Kaidō, or healing magic, to quickly fix the damage that was probably her own fault. She surmised she had not been thorough enough with her explanation Some teacher I am...

After she was satisfied she had healed Hana's wounds, Mizu took a step back and answered the woman's question. "I am terribly sorry, Aoyama-san. I tried advising you based on how I currently use Kidō, not what I experienced when I was first learning. Now it has become second nature, almost like instinct, when I use it, a result of repetition and experience. When I was still struggling as you are, what filled my mind was the future I envisioned. One where I was reaching my goals and finally becoming a worthy Shinigami. Do you have any objectives like that? Or any hurdles you want to surpass? What will learning Kidō get you closer to doing?"

Mizu's words struck something in Hana. She knew she had found this new feeling of determination. She wanted to get better, somehow, but never really thought about why. She stared at her now healed hand and tried thinking about the first time she felt she needed to be better. It was Cala. Nothing has happened on her patrols, yet, but Cala was her first friend in the Human World, and Hana wanted to protect her. Her over-active imagination and tendency to overthink brought fears about not being able to protect her friends, or anyone she cares about.

"I have this friend that seems very meek herself..." Hana said, a gentle smile on her face. "She's very kind and I like seeing her, but being a Shinigami in the Human World, I'm bound to encounter dangerous hollow. If I do, I want to be confident enough in my skill to prevent any harm from reaching her. I'd say that is the first part of my goal, but the second is to stop feeling so worthless, like I'm going nowhere while others pass me by. I felt that type of jealousy when I found out my best friend unlocked her shikai before gradu-... Oh my goodness, this is too much information, isn't it? I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking... But I do have a goal, of sorts."

Hana's words were as familiar to Mizu as her own. The feeling of falling behind, of wanting to help others, of being worthless...she had spent the last 23 years fighting these thoughts. Though successful at doing so, they were like vultures circling their prey, waiting for a single hiccup or moment of weakness to strike. They were no different from the deficiencies she had always struggled with, and though Mizu was proud of how far she'd managed to come, it was clear Hana was not at that point yet.

Mizu shook her head at Hana as she interrupted herself. "It's alright to talk about these things, Aoyama-san. I've experienced a lot of what you are describing. My closest friend growing up was a true genius. Everything I found challenging came to her naturally. And that's alright! She's doing amazing things as a Shinigami, I don't resent her for her abilities. Because I know so long as I keep trying and doing my best, I can reach my dreams. And so can you, Aoyama-san."

"Even if you're not confident in your teaching ability, you're very skilled at encouragement and inspiration." Hana said with a smile and then faced the target again. "I grew up in a house, literally. I had a yard and people to take care of me, but it was still one large box. It's nice finally having friends, and being able to make more..." While speaking the last bit, Hana glanced to Mizu for only a moment. She took a deep breath and focused once more on performing her kido.

"Hadō, number four, Byakurai," Hana said as she pointed toward the target. This time, there was no hesitation. Her energy was stable and she let the kido fly without fully panicking at the last moment. There was a brief moment of doubt that she rapidly forced down to let the spell fly forward. It struck the target with enough power that it was slightly scorched. It didn't make a hole or anything, but the fact that it hit the target was what made Hana's jaw drop and her eyes brighten.

"It hit the target," Hana said, the shock evident in her voice. She began giggling and looked to Mizu, starting to laugh and hop from excitement. "I hit the target! It worked! I can't believe this!" Suddenly, Hana stepped in and gave Mizu a tight hug. "I've been struggling with that for so long. Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

The implication of becoming friends with Hana drew a sincere smile to Mizu's face. Beyond their similarities in their struggles to improve, the more Mizu learned about the silver-haired woman the more she reminded her of herself. She also grew up in a box, and though her parents provided tutors and training, her privileged and sheltered upbringing never afforded her opportunities to live beyond the box. Mizu was beginning to feel this Hana was a bit of a kindred spirit to herself.

When Hana glanced at her in preparation to try again at casting a spell, Mizu nodded her head in encouragement. She observed as the woman took up a Kidō-casting stance and readied her energy. Out of excitement and nerves, Mizu clasped her hands together in front of herself. Then, it happened: Hana cast Byakurai, and this time...it worked! Elated, Mizu grinned and prepared to congratulate her would-be protege when she felt suddenly enveloped in Hana's arms.

Just a minute after thinking about it, Mizu's traditional upbringing caused her to practically freeze in place. She wasn't used to any kind of physical affection, though the blond Shinigami did her best not to make things awkward. After they separated Mizu, now with slightly reddened cheeks, offered her congratulations to her newly-made acquaintance "You did great, Aoyama-san! And you learned so quickly, too. With some repetition, I have no doubt you'll be as skilled as anyone!"

Hana's excitement allowed her to drop the collected demeanor she normally kept fastened like a mask. It took her a second to realize her behavior was not normal. She stopped and took a step back. "My apologies. That was childish and obnoxious and so, so rude..." Hana said and straightened herself out, "But thank you, so much." Hana had given her final thank you before the conversation moved on.

"You're completely right," Hana said, looking at her hands. "A single instance does not mean I could use the spell in combat, and that is definitely the goal."

Repetition was key! Hana looked at the scorched dummy again. She went to cast the spell, but before she spoke the name, she stopped. Her energy was off, her confidence wavered again. It wasn't because of the spell this time, but the fact she had completely embarrassed herself in front of someone new and could hear a certain voice in the back of her mind, making fun of her for behaving like a child.

"That would have failed," Hana said confident in her words. She took a deep breath, centered herself, and fired off another Byakurai. The spell hit the target like before. There still wasn't much power behind it, but it wasn't fizzling away or loosing range. It was striking the target and that was all she could ask for... for now. She cast the kido three more times, each succeeding before turning back to Mizu.

"I owe these successes to you," Hana said, and then bowed politely. "I'm grateful."

Mizu felt badly as her companion recoiled out of embarrassment. She could not help but blame her own unintentional reaction for Hana's self-consciousness. At the same time she did not want to focus on the awkwardness any more than necessary, and gratefully accepted Hana changing subjects.

Knowing her spell would fail impressed Mizu. Hana had quickly become in tune with her own equilibrium. After she fired off more Byakurai and thanked her temporary tutor again, Mizu bowed as well in recognition of what they had accomplished together. As she straightened back up, an idea struck the 4th Seat. She could probably help Hana learn even more with this idea, a thought that excited the young Shinigami.

Mizu tucked golden strands behind her ear before making a fist in the air between the duo "Oooooo-kay! You're doing wonderfully, Aoyama-san! Want to step things up a bit? How does a Kidō duel sound? I understand if you don't want to, though I do think it will help facilitate even more growth in you."

There was a sense of pride in this knew understanding. The fact that she could fire off multiple Byakurai without blowing her arm up was a fantastic step, one that would allow her more confidence in her missions and patrols like she wanted.

What Mizu offered next was... intimidating. Did she meant to throw kido at each other? Hana was sure she would lose and die at the same time. Hana did want to grow, and didn't think Mizu would actually blast her with a Raikoho or anything, so maybe it was about combat training Shō a little? Hana smiled nervously.

"Uh, sure. I'll try," Hana said, rubbing the back of her head. "Though, I will warn... Shakkaho blows up in my face, Tsuzuri Raiden shocks me, and I was stuck in a Fushibi for half an hour before a teacher at the academy heard me yelling. Oh my god, that day was so embarrassing. Luckily, no other students found out."

The possibility this Kidō Duel might be a bit much for a just-starting-out novice like Hana did cross Mizu's mind, but she figured if the woman managed to hurt herself with a rebounded spell she could always use Kaidō to heal her right up. The threat of danger was worth the practical training in her eyes. Though Hana's descriptions of her previous experiences with Kidō spells did not exactly inspire confidence in the blond...still! Nothing ventured, nothing gained, as those humans say!

Mizu took a dozen or so steps away from Hana before spinning on her heel to face the hesitant Shinigami. "All that stuff happened in the past, now they're just learning experiences for you Aoyama-san. Besides, I bet yesterday you would've included "My Byakurai blows up in my face!" too! You are certainly welcome to stick to the spells you are confident using, but if you want to apply what you've learned here with a more difficult spell that's fine too. Just come at me with everything you've got, Aoyama-san!"

"So, to be clear, I am aiming kido at you, right?"

Hana's concern did not stem from the possibility of hurting Mizu. She didn't think she could, and assumed Mizu could block or counter anything Hana threw at her. What was concerning was that aiming kido at a person you had no intention to harm would make anyone hesitate. It was that hesitation and overthinking that caused kido to blow up, so Hana was a bit fearful of how that would happen now.

"Here we go," Hana said, taking a couple extra steps back too. If she applied what she learned here, then nothing should blow up, on herself at least. Doing as Mizu instructed, Hana kept to the spell she had just been practicing. She could go lower, to something like Sho, but she knew how Byakurai felt now. She aimed at Mizu and called out its name. A deep breath to keep her calm, and she took the shot.

The kido she fired was definitely not at any sort of full power, but it didn't fail. The blue spark of energy fired off toward Mizu, aiming for center mass. That short moment between firing and seeing what actually happened had Hana's breath lock in her chest. She never shot kido at anything more than a dummy, or a target, or a hollow. She had the right to be worried, even if the worry was kind of dumb...