Making Music Together [Mizu, Rose]

A blond figure of small stature paced back and forth in the Eighth Division's offices. This woman, Morikawa Mizu, Fourth Seat of this very squad, was almost sweating bullets just thinking about what she dared to do. Today she was to have a meeting with her Captain, the legendary Ōtoribashi Rōjūrō. In that meeting, she would ask him for help. Not just any help though, help [i[training![/i] She couldn't believe her own audacity! Little Mizu from the Rukongai daring to ask a war hero to spar and train with her.

What had driven Mizu to this startling, shocking decision was simple: Having recently been able to unlock her Bankai through meditation and battling her Zanpakuto, she wanted practical training with it. Unfortunately for the blond pixie of a Shinigami, there were no Hollow Hunts she could imagine would justify using it, not to mention how irresponsible it would be for her to release her Bankai unless it was absolutely necessary. On the other hand, she felt uncomfortable using such an immature Bankai in normal spars with other seated officers in the squad.

And so, Mizu now found herself walking back and forth just outside her Captain's office. Too nervous to knock, too hardheaded to just walk away. After scaring enough of her squad mates who were worried both for her and their own safety as she nervously paced, Mizu finally worked up the nerve to knock, and with a light RAP RAP RAP on his door, she waited like a statue for a response.

When one thought of a war hero, they likely expected someone somewhat different to the eccentric Captain of the 8th Division. A pleasant smile came quickly to his sharp features and he spent much of his time helping out his comrades with their problems when he was not handling his own business. Rose had a peculiar energy that he tried to spread to those around him, often via the medium of music, and carried himself on the back of that charisma. He had felt refreshed ever since returning to the Gotei, his muse finally reinvigorated after centuries spent searching for a cause that he could believe in again. His fighting days were far from behind him, though, and he would need every bit of practice for the battles still to come.

The sound of knuckles rapping against the door to his office was hardly a surprise, there was always another matter that he would need to attend to. Never a dull day in the eighth. That was what he told himself as he stepped away from the window and slunk into his seat. His desk was a little messy, some paperwork that his Vice-Captain had tried to get him to finish up - and he would, just not quite yet. She would understand, they were busy people.

"Come in!"

He called out after a moment of settling into his chair, considering just who it might be. Muted, yet carrying intention. Several candidates came to mind, though none immediately jumped out to him as the culprit. Running a hand through his mop of blonde hair, he swept it back over his head and waited for the grand reveal. Whatever purpose they might have would surely elucidate itself soon too.

Upon being invited into her Captain's office, Mizu froze for a second before taking a deep breath, gripped the door's knob tightly, and pushed it open with all the confidence of a first time bungee jumper. She opened the door slowly, still a bit unsure of herself. Even with all her trepidation about having a one-on-one meeting with someone like this, meeting Rangiku and Urahara had somehow managed to prepare her a little and so, with a final push, Mizu opened the door wide, entered the office, and closed it back behind her.

Though Mizu looked like she was in a nerve-wracking life or death situation, her reason for coming was nowhere near as serious. Despite this, her voice practically trembled as she spoke to yet another legendary Gotei figure she had read about ceaselessly as a child "C-captain Ōtoribashi-sama! I...I am here to ask you to spar with me! T-to, to teach me! I recently managed to unlock Bankai, but I am not confident in using it safely. I know it is a lot to ask. I am sorry for bothering you with this request."

Ah, his diligent fourth seat. Of course, that explained the hesitation and the respect. He recalled some of the details of Rangiku's report when she had overseen the transfer, and truthfully it was long overdue that they formally met. Ideally, he would be on better terms with his high-ranking officers than letting them go for months without an opportunity to sit down with him and share a cup of tea. Or, in this case, a chance to truly test themselves.

"Ah, Officer Morikawa, what truly fascinating news. Soon enough the Eighth Division will have more Bankai-wielders than any other squad, I am sure of it."

His enthusiasm was quite infectious, an almost comically theatrical smile spreading across his face as he made to stand. Of course, much had changed the days when he had achieved Bankai but that did not make the revelation any more impactful. It was a sign of both prestige and power to be able to call upon such a thing, a technique so rare that he could not name more than two dozen Shinigami still alive that had such power, and yet it was also a secretive weapon rather than something to showoff at every occasion. The abilities that they could wield were so wild and dangerous that simply knowing what one was capable of could change the course of a battle entirely.

"I am honoured, of course, that you would trust me with such a task. One's Bankai can be an intimate thing, delicate and challenging to utilise to its full potential. Come, we should not discuss it more here. The walls can have ears and eyes from time to time, I know of a few more secluded spots where we can discuss more at length."

With a flick of his wrist, the sound of a chord being strummed on an invisible guitar suddenly interrupted their discussion as the sheathed form of Kinshara flew across the room for Rose to catch in one hand and offer Mizu a playful wink. He now had a genuine excuse for leaving all this paperwork to his Vice-Captain too, what a wonderful day it was turning out to be.

Oh? Mizu had not considered there could be others in the Division with Bankai. Now that she was thinking about it, surely the Vice Captain and Third Seat do. As for the rest of the squad, she knew the recent addition Beetle was an experienced Gotei member so...maybe her too? The last possibility Mizu could think of was Kyo, and she definitely would not be surprised if he had unlocked it already. Considering how great he is, Mizu was positive if he didn't already have Bankai he would soon enough! In that case, Captain Ōtoribashi's assessment about the Eight having loads of Bankai users might be true. This just proved how great the squad was in Mizu's eyes.

Relief spread across Mizu's brow as her tension faded because of her Captain's gracious acceptance of her proposal. She was nervous he might not for some reason, either due to being too busy or maybe he just wasn't interested. She would have accepted any reason given without argument, someone in his position deserved that much respect, at least. She was a little confused why he was concerned about possible eavesdroppers, but she trusted his judgement enough to go along with and so she just nodded her head in agreement.

The sound and movement of Rose's Zanpakuto drew a look of awe from his subordinate. "W-wow!" uttered Mizu in a whisper. Between his air of excitement and confidence, his legacy in the Gotei, and her own admiration for him, Mizu's legs nearly turned to jelly from his wink alone. She felt like she was in the presence of a Rock Star! Doing her best to keep it together, Mizu focused on the objective at hand and stepped outside his office and waited for him to take the lead.

Mizu's awe at such a trivial display of Kinshara's power was endearing, of course, though Rose was all too familiar with such responses. He could turn anything into a performance, given the setting and the audience, such was the power of one that could control sound itself. She would undoubtedly have to learn fast if that was enough to earn such a response.

Following her out of his office, marching with a satisfying click of his heeled shoes against the floor, Rose closed the door behind him and took the lead. Leading Mizu out of the barracks, they soon transitioned into using Hoho to travel long distances quickly as they headed out away from any prying eyes. The intention certainly wasn't to lose Mizu in the process, so he made sure to keep track of her as they darted across the Seireitei until they arrived at an abandoned courtyard, far away from most other traces of modern society. An old stage, one that most had long forgotten, but some musicians never forgot their first.

"This should prove sufficient, I think." Again, he winked at her before placing a hand upon the hilt of his weapon again. "So, do you wish to cut to the chase or spare me the luxury of a demonstration?"

As it turns out, not every Gotei Captain has a secret underground training venue. More accurately, Mizu thought, Urahara is probably the only one with such a cavernous room hidden under his barracks. As for her own Captain, she had no qualms about following him across Seireitei, her struggle instead came in the form of anxiety about going too slowly for Rose's patience so she pushed herself and her Flash Step to their limits as they traveled.

Eventually they came to a stop in an abandoned and dilapidated courtyard. She looked around curiously at the worn stone ground littered with weeds stretching to the sky, and the shabby and weather-beaten building wrapped around them. Mizu was surprised such an area existed within Soul Society's capital, and she wondered why it had not been bulldozed and replaced already. Maybe it has historical significance...? she questioned silently to herself.

Turning to face her Captain, Mizu mirrored the man by placing her hand on her own Zanpakuto. "If it's alright with you, Captain Ōtoribashi-sama, I will release Shōsenmaru and explain how it works before we get started. Alright....whew...here we go...!"


Upon saying these words Mizu's form was surrounded by a whirlwind of energy which quickly solidified into a violet cocoon of reflective crystal glass. Then, only a short moment later, it shattered into may thousands of shards and Mizu emerged from the chrysalis transformed. In place of her Shihakushō was a fanciful jet black dress with purple and pink accents, revealing her legs clad in black thigh-highs adorned with gems. Her Zanpakuto was also transformed, now an ebony straight blade with a streak of pink running along the flat sides. Her eyes also glowed a brilliant violet.

"This is my Bankai. I can control the crystal shards it created telepathically, and strangely my Kidō spells can bounce off walls made of them. Oh and...the crystals soothe me. They have a relaxing effect on my mind. I hope it is satisfactory, Captain Ōtoribashi-sama."

It was easy to wonder why much of the Seireitei had been left as it was after all these years, but there were only so many Sawachikas and their ilk out there to knock things down and rebuild them anew. Not that Rose had any qualms with such a profession, but he was rather glad that the majority of the nobles spent too much time with their heads a little too deep in the sand to care about their surroundings. That meant that sanctuaries such as this would stand the test of time.

His hand left the hilt of his weapon, though, as she acquiesced to his request for a demonstration rather than an outright brawl. There were some Bankai that were ill-suited for such things, after all, but Mizu’s did not appear to be so terribly overbearing. Still, he observed her carefully, crystalline metamorphosis and all, before bringing both his hands together in a brief applause.

“Aha, what a wonderful little creation you have there. It is quite the rockstar transformation too, and the tailoring is magnificent.” He loosed a quick laugh, not meaning to offend though he was rather envious of her dashing outfit swap. “Though you appear to have already understood several facets of its power. You clearly do not need my aid in simply conjuring the mental state to access it, so perhaps then I might inquire as to what more you are struggling to achieve?”

If she wished to study it then he could certainly provide some assistance, or push it to her limit and see where the cracks appeared. Perhaps she would rather that he try to poke holes in it, and there were a couple that he had considered. Regardless, it still filled his heart with pride. His first triumph as Captain of the 8th, the first in a new age of prodigies that he would raise and hone into the finest of Shinigami.

At Rose's compliments to her altered appearance, Mizu's face reddened as she looked down at herself. She knew her outfit changed too but this was the first time her attention had been drawn to her Bankai dress's intricacies and elegance. She realized it felt tighter than her usual Shinigami Shihakushō, and on top of that it also ends a little shorter in the front than she would normally be comfortable with, and completely reveals her shoulders and upper arms. The adorned knee-highs were also a bit foreign for her, a woman who typically dressed in full length kimonos when not working as a Shinigami. The calming effect of her Bankai prevented Mizu from feeling embarrassed at least, as she turned her gaze back up to her Captain.

"Thank you, Captain Ōtoribashi-sama. It's not something I would normally wear, but it is pretty."

Rose's question made Mizu pause and have to think about it for a minute. He was correct in observing she could release Bankai without issue, which for most people, she thought, is probably the biggest hurdle. But after everything she had been through over the last few months, Mizu couldn't settle for just having Bankai. No, she needed to go further. It needed to be a sword and shield for other people, one that doesn't dull or break. "As you say, I understand how my Bankai functions. Part of that is knowing its limitations...and that is what I have a problem with. It's...exhausting! And my control over it is not where it needs to be, nor am I confident in it in real battle."

Mizu looked down at her transformed black and pink sword before finally answering Rose's question "Captain Ōtoribashi-sama, I need it to be more!"

"It is not a power to be wielded lightly. How else would you expect it to feel when every blow you land is like a sledgehammer? Your entire body is being pushed well beyond the peak of what it should normally be capable of." Rose chastised gently, clicking his tongue like an instructor after his pupil had just struck an unsavoury note. "It should always carry a weight in the back of your mind. Challenge you to stay on top of it. Even when the strain on your body becomes manageable, it should never be a tool that you reach for eagerly."

Her passion was enough to nearly blind him if he looked directly at her, how brightly she wanted to shine. It was a reflection that reminded Rose of a much younger man thinking along those lines too. Ready to be the change that the Gotei of the time needed. That future had been stolen from him, and yet he was still here after all that had happened since then. He would gladly do what he could to mould the next generation so that perhaps they would avoid the mistakes of those that had come before, besides, he sounded good spouting all these little wisdoms.

"Few people stand where you are and want more as soon as they crest that hill. Your tenacity is certainly formidable, Miss Mizu, but be careful that you do not stretch yourself too thin. Adapt to this growth, understand your Bankai until you can be proud of it, and then perhaps we can discuss what this 'more' looks like."