Nascent Dreams [Kyo, Mizu]

Glad to see Kyo taking her advice to apply for the position, Mizu looked forward to when he would be a Vice Captain too. And after that, when they're both Captains. And after that, who knows what their future together could look like...together?! Mizu grew flustered, unsure of herself in this moment. She had never had these kinds of thoughts before, not really. Even as a child or young woman her fantasies had only been innocent fangirling, this felt far more real to her. Mizu did her best to ignore these foreign feelings as she was both unsure about them, and didn't want to make things weird with her friend.

Mizu remained scarlet as she twirled a hanging lock of gold hair absentmindedly. She distractedly listened to Kyo talk about shared dreams, and not seeing each other much, she assumed he meant because the Second and Eighth barracks weren't close to each other. But then came the question. Her first instinct caused her to blurt out "Of course!!" with her brain catching up to her mouth a second later. D-did I just agree to..a...a..?! Mizu barely got a hold of herself when she reversed a bit and tried to answer again "Um, I mean, Kyo-san, uh, d-do you mean, like, do you mean like a d-date? N-not that I'm opposed, I, I just, um, want to be sure that's...um..what you want, K-Kyo-san."

At her loud agreement, Kyo's own face turned a faint red as well, almost surprised by how excitedly Mizu had answered. It was so genuine and earnest in nature that Kyo could only find it more attractive, and he nodded firmly as he made his reply.

"I do mean a date. Absolutely."

Kyo ran a hand through his own hair a bit nervously, though in another context, it probably would have come across as rather dashing. The thought of giving her a reassuring pat on the head crossed his mind, but it didn't exactly seem quite the same now as it would have even a short while ago.

"Would next Saturday work for you? I know you're probably busy with your transfer, so I don't mind waiting until you're free. I know a great teahouse I'd love to show you."

As Mizu listened to Kyo's assurance he really did mean a date, and as he ran his fingers through his violet-red hair, she felt like she was seeing him in a whole new light. Or maybe she was just finally being honest with herself about her feelings toward him. She always knew he was handsome, after all with his height, muscularity, chiseled features, and gentle eyes, it would require a great effort for him not to be. But now she was realizing how just how attractive she found him, like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day.

Before nearly blurting out another Of course!, Mizu managed to catch herself and actually think about her upcoming schedule before answering. Kyo was right, transferring to the Second Division and easing into her duties as a Vice Captain would be bring along substantial workloads. Even still, she vowed to herself to make time for him as she stuttered out an agreement for Saturday "S-sounds perfect, Kyo-san! I'll look forward to it all week!" In her head Mizu was practically squealing, but she somehow managed to restrain herself in the moment.

Any hot-blooded man would only be able to react positively to a statement like that. A lovely woman looking forward to a date with him? Kyo knew that his recent circumstances in life could have gotten to him about this, but there wasn't a chance he'd let that happen. Mizu's enthusiasm was infectious, and Kyo could feel excitement welling up in his chest.

"Wonderful! That's good, I'll be looking forward to it too. Should I pick you up at your home? Or we can meet somewhere first, if you'd rather."

Maybe he ought to see if he could take lunch early, go home and get this out of his system so he could actually focus. It didn't really sound like such a bad idea to ask his father for advice, either, even knowing how overenthusiastic the man could be.

There were a lot of foreign feelings and sensations Mizu was experiencing in this moment. Her face felt hot, her heart was aflutter, and she didn't know what to do with her hands. Just being asked on a date was new in and of itself, and because it was Kyo doing it she was really made off kilter. Mizu felt like she was playing whack-a-mole as she stopped herself twirling her hair, stopped herself blinking too quickly, and focused on calming herself down.

"Oh! Um, I live all the way out in Rukongai so, maybe either the barracks, or if that's too...ᵘᵐ ˡᵃᵐᵉ....we could meet at your home? Whatever sounds easiest to you, Kyo-san." Somehow even just forming sentences had become more difficult for Mizu too as she eked out an answer for Kyo.

Even if Mizu was worried about calming down, and avoiding her nervous actions, Kyo found them rather cute, and it actually took him a brief moment to think to reply, so caught up was he in the moment. It wasn't like him at all, honestly, but maybe that was just Mizu rubbing off on him, or maybe it was the new way that this felt. More genuine and, frankly, more intimate than much of what he was used to when it came to dating.

"Don't worry about me, Mizu-san! I'd be ashamed if I didn't give you the very best treatment, so I'll gladly meet you wherever works best for you. If the barracks are what's most convenient, then meeting you there sounds perfect."

Already, Kyo's mind was racing with how he ought to handle this, and it genuinely surprised him just how he was reeling. He wasn't the sort to be so scattered, and this was far from the first date he'd ever asked a woman on. But it felt different, in a way that was very hard to explain.

"Um, alright Kyo-san! I'll see you at the Second Division's barracks next Saturday then." And just like that, their date was finalized. Mizu's mind was going a mile a minute as she contemplated just what that means, having no experience in this department previously. She figured she could just let him take the lead and 'go with the flow' even if the notion of doing so was as scary as it was exciting. Then, as if returning to earth, Mizu's head left the clouds and she remembered she just got promoted!

"Oh! I'm so sorry Kyo-san, I need to go talk to Captain Ōtoribashi-sama! And Vice Captain Matsumoto-sama...and so many other people...t-thank you for the date, I will see you then Kyo-san." Before she went to leave, Mizu realized she wasn't sure how to say goodbye to Kyo now an awkwardly raised her hand for a handshake but stopped herself and opted to just wave it instead. Perhaps just as awkwardly, Mizu turned on her heel and practically sprinted out of his office, her face beet red from embarrassment and anticipation for next week.