Wait, I Know You [Kaito, Nanashi]

Progress was a slow, steady slope -- irritatingly slow. While Kaito was the type of young man who most others would call "the quiet one," he too felt frustration at how long it was taking to feel any sense of acceptable progress. He would try to communicate with his Zanpakuto, ending up meditating deep into the night, spend hours trying correcting the little mistakes he saw in his Zanjutsu form, or pushing himself to the limit with how far he could go with a Flash Step or how many he could perform.

He wanted to make sure that he was keeping up with Hiroe, to try and make sure that they would hold each other to the standard they set for one another. She had been making strides, while he was worried that he would be left behind, or that he just wasn't good enough. So, he found himself in one of the practice halls for Zanjutsu after classes had ended, doing a run of the same routine that he had performed so many times before.

Part of him wished he could test out the other things he had been learning from different classes -- a new sword style he was practicing alongside the main style that they learned in classes. But, most people had returned to their dorms after classes were over, and those that had stayed were all across the grounds, and he wasn't really the type to barge in on others. By and large, he kept to himself. Perhaps it was a bad thing for him to do, since, it hadn't really helped him much currently. He didn't have a lot of friends in the academy as a result. He'd have to work on both of those things in the future.

Were he being honest, he was barely putting a lot of thought into the routine he was practicing. After practicing it for so long, it had since become second nature to him. Rather, he took the time to take small peeks around to see what the other students in the grounds were doing. Some were practicing other routines they learned from the other elective Zanjutsu classes, many of them he didn't recognize, and made a note to see if there were any more that he could pick up.

But, as he as taking another cursory look around, he noticed someone approaching him out of the corner of his eye. As she spoke, he turned around, breaking his stance to look at her. He was honestly surprised that someone went out of their way to talk to him above everyone else, but, the company was nice, even if it might be brief. Lowering his sword and slipping it away, he offered a light smile.

"Ah, mainly just a little frustrated. Part of me feels like I haven't made a lot of progress lately. I understand the routine and can perform it, but it doesn't feel enough. Still haven't really grasped Kido or Hakuda that well yet, either."

Seeing a big grin flash across the young woman's face brought a bit of concern to him, only for him to suddenly look himself over -- which he promptly regretted, it probably made him look like an idiot. Did he really look that downtrodden? As she mentioned her name, however, his head lifted and faced her curiously.

He remembered that name -- hearing it in some of this other classes, as well as Hiroe mentioning it herself. So, this was the girl, huh? Certainly lifelike, that was for certain. He chuckled softly, offering a warm smile in return to her large, unyielding grin.

"The Nanashi, huh? I had heard of you, but I didn't realize that you were so special. A few of my classmates mentioned you a few times, I didn't realize I was talking with the academy's little celebrity~"

Only a little bit of teasing -- even for such an ordinary man like him, there was still a bit of playfulness. He took another look at himself, at his Asauchi, before looking back at her, a sheepish smile coming to him.

"Well, I can't argue with that. A spar would be a welcome change of pace, if you're seriously considering it."

Sliding his Asauchi back into the sheath, he switched to the wooden training sword neatly tucked behind him, moving it to his side and the Asauchi to the back.

"If the Nanashi is taking time our of her day to spar with someone like me, I'm sure I'll be in for it, now won't I?"

Still only teasing, but also partly serious. After all, if she really was supposed to be a big shot around the school, it would serve as good practice. He needed to make sure that he was keeping up with Hiroe, with his other classmates.

Were he to say it aloud, he was mostly just used to using his training sword when it came to sparring or training environments. So, he gave a sheepish smile before shrugging, sliding his training sword back into place, drawing his sword in its stead.

"If that's okay with you, sure. I doubt I could hold up very well against a Shikai, but, if it comes to that, I'll still try and meet the challenge."

The sheepish smile turned to one of mild confidence and excitement. It sort of reminded him of Hiroe with that boundless, infectious energy. It made him want to play along, and so, he would. Even as she crossed her arms over her chest, keeping that confident, cheeky smile, Kaito took a rather basic stance.

His legs spread slightly, sword held in front of him with two hands in a stance similar to Kendo. Taking a moment to focus, he concentrated his spiritual power into dulling his sword, he took a step forward, quickly drawing his sword to his shoulder, before swinging from the right toward her arm.

Oh no. He suddenly had a bad feeling about this.

As she took the time to pose and unleash her Shikai, Kaito quietly regretted making the passing comment. He hadn't been expecting her to jump to it right out the gate, but, now he just had to start adapting to the new shape. He didn't back out of his attack, something that became a problem as she quickly took advantage of the sudden range increase, slamming the staff into his chest.

Unable to regain his footing. he stumbled backward and fell onto his back, knocking whatever air was left in him out. But, he still tried to get a breath in, wasting no time in retaliating. He didn't try to get to his feet just yet, rather, he kept low to the ground and swiped at her legs with his sword before finally getting back up. He took a few steps back to try and get out of her immediate range, taking his stance again.

He let a hand drift behind him, a hand resting on the handle of his wooden sword. If this really was going to be the fight of his life as she said, he'd have to get creative to try and at least put up a fight.