A Fire Reborn [Private: Kimitsuki/Hiroe]

Hell yeah. The old fire had indeed returned to Hiroe's eyes. She had overcome the fear that robbed her of her ability to dream, to even function really, and finally tapped into the nature of her zanpakuto. It was no longer an Asauchi. It was Den-Ko-Sekka~ And she was awesome. A regal woman boasting the appearance of a female samurai. She meant business, and so did Hiroe. She told her in the spirit realm that she would be seeing her again, and she meant it. For now, Hiroe had invited Kimitsuki to tell her the good news. Her fire had been reborn, and she wasn't going to approach the training with everything she had.

She would graduate, and she would join the Gotei united. Doubt no longer held a place in her heart. Nothing but unbridled determination occupied a place there. Grinning from ear to ear as if she owned the place, she sashayed towards the semi-secluded courtyard around Shino Academy, approaching Kimitsuki upfront. A confident smirk lining her lips, she greeted Kimitsuki with a bow before pulling the woman into a tight hug.

"Long time no see, teach~! Guess what~?"

Hiroe naturally enjoyed every minute of the heated embrace Kimitsuki wrapped her up in. After she ruffled her hair and broke contact, Kimitsuki wanted her to spill the beans immediately. Hiroe grinned from ear to ear, holding her sword before Kimitsuki as she paced back and forth in dancelike motion. Always one for the flare and dramatics, she stopped, pointed her sheathed zanpakuto towards Kimitsuki, and drew her blade, pointing it towards the sky while she motioned a finger towards her face.

"The great Hiroe Miyashiro has finally learned the name and base ability of her zanpakuto~! Her name is Denkosekka! And she's awesome!"

Hiroe was rendered speechless for a moment, as if someone had dragged her out of her flamboyant display of self-congratulatory bliss! Kimitsuki went into mother mode, pressing their foreheads together as she gazed at her with all the admiration of a proud parent. Quickly finding her face cast in a firm shade of scarlet, Hiroe quickly regathered her earlier composure as she returned the woman's hug with equal zeal before she released her entirely. In spite of clearly being flustered, Hiroe was happy to see the joy in radiating in Kimitsuki's countenance. Henrex was happy about it, too! Was he this happy?

No, but she vividly remembered his prideful expression the moment he witnessed her immature shikai in action for the first time. Denkosekka took the woman's compliment in stride, and made Hiroe aware of that from her inner world. All things considered, Hiroe was still trying to make sense of it all. It had took her so long to learn her zanpakuto's name and the nature that lied therein. Now that she had glimpsed into what it could feasibly represent moving forward, she felt as if her training held a whole new meaning now. In a sense, it was if she was reinvigorated with purpose, and she did not intend to let this opportunity go to waste.

"Yup. I also gleamed what my Shikai might look like, too, Kimitsuki. Like, you know Iaido right? The art of the draw and slash. Now, take the element of lightning, make my sword all transparent and stuff, and boom - you get Hiroe's denkosekka technique, or one of them at least..."

She trailed off, stroking her chin as she glanced back at her blade. To be honest, it was such a spur of the moment that she almost thought it was all a dream, and yet---she could still remember it all so vividly. The spirit she interacted with in her inner realm, the way she grasped her fingers around the hilt, and the surprisingly seamless execution of her technique. Kimitsuki talked about doing some hardcore training moving forward, but HIroe would really have something fun to show her now! She just had to work on her durability so her body didn't end up strained like it was the first time she'd used it...

Sheesh... Hiroe expected many things, but her teacher making her blush and hit her with an endless barrage of praise wasn't one of them, nor was the genuinely affectionate happiness the woman displayed. It was a lot to take in, but Hiroe, ever the confident shinigami that she was, maintained a confident expression as she returned the woman's embrace, gathering her composure to listen to the woman in curious silence. It really did mean a lot to hear how proud Kimitsuki was of her rise back to the prideful woman she was always destined to be.

None of that humility was present anymore. No, she had resolved to become the best at any cost, or at least the cost that could be earned through hard work and dedication. Her skills weren't quite up to par to match her shikai just yet, but with her boundless work ethic, she'd make it there in due time. After all, doubt was no longer rooted in her soul.

"Yeah... Denkosekka's adamant about getting me up to snuff so I can use her properly. When I executed my Shikai technique for the first time, I nearly twisted my ankle pretty badly..."