Rise And Shine! [Aiko/Hannah]

Resuming from this thread: https://www.platinumhearts.net/t24200p40-a-bloody-treat-aiko-hannah?highlight=aiko

It was far safer to be in the meadow of Karakura Forest than it was in the night, so the reflection of the morning sun was a welcome sight to the scarlet eyes of Aiko. With a sword forged from her blood, she swung it in the air to get some practice as she waited for Hannah to arrive soon.

As she kept striking the air, small drops of sweat dripped from her face as her heart raced in anticipation at what the training and day could bring. It had been some time since she had trained with anyone besides herself or her trainer, so a sense of uncertainty tingled her soul.

When she stopped swinging, Aiko turned around excitedly as she heard someone coming from the bushes and hoped it was Hannah. With a happy wave, she called out in a cheery tone:

"Morning~!"

Walking through a forest could be a difficult task for a blind person, even one with sensory perception like Hannah. There was a lot of 'noise' about the place, which could hide stinging nettles or thorns and even animal feces. So, she simply made herself a modified barrier that gently reflected everything she touched. So as not to break anything, but also not get caught by anything. With that, she reached Aiko safe and sound. If slightly noisily.

"Good morning Aiko. You know you could have come to my house, right?" Hannah would ask, giving her a warm, if slightly amused smile.

Aiko's eyes glazed over with embarrassment as her face gave way to a flush pink glow. She shook her head out of disbelief at how scatter-brained she was becoming and then spoke up in a flustered voice:

"Sorry! It won't happen again."

Earnest as can be, Aiko did not want to put people through more grief than needed. So, she continued and explained her reasoning for this location.

"I just thought that if we were in a remote place, it would be easier since there aren't many people around, and we can have privacy."

Aiko looked at Hannah with an uncertain look before resolving herself with a gentle nod and finishing her words.

"If you want, I can fly you myself next time."

"I am capable of cutting Space itself off from the surrounding area. You've no need to worry about privacy" Hannah would reply, giving her a comforting smile. Aiko was delightfully scatter-brained, and it was so cute. But, she couldn't keep the woman, because Aiko was not interested in that. Friendship would have to do.

"Though, where are we flying to? It's one thing I've not done before, flying. Though probably could, if I tried"

In an amazed tone of voice, Aiko spoke out.

"Jesus Christ, that's strong."

The woman was stunned she could do such a thing. But, given the amount of power, Aiko pondered if she should be surprised. So, once the shock washed away from her eyes, she continued speaking in a more relaxed tone:

"But yes, I'll remember that in the future. That's something you don't forget."

After giving a gentle nod of her head, Aiko's lingering gaze was filled with a bit of confusion. Did she slip over her words again?

"No, I meant the next time we train, I can fly you on my back or something. I'm pretty fast in the air."

With a more confident tone of voice, Aiko felt assured of herself. But felt they were getting sidetracked a bit. So, with a more focused stare, the woman added:

"Though I do have a question: how do you want to do this training? Are you planning to show me the basics of swordsmanship, or something more mystic in nature?"

"Well, I shall hold you to that. Flying certainly sounds like fun" Hannah would reply, giving a happy smile and totally ignoring her shock over Hannah's capabilities. It had been a long time building it up, after all.

Reaching up and cupping her necklace for a moment, she would grow it into a full length sword, and grasp it gently.

"As for Swordsmanship, I can unfortunately not teach you the basics, because I do not know the basics. My skill comes from integrating with my Spirit and following her instructions. Hence why I said I cheat a little with my skill. I can help you develop proper muscle memory and give you some live practice so you can test how well things you want to try will go, however"

Aiko giggled and rolled her shoulders without a care in the world when Hannah mentioned she was a "cheater". After looking at her with an amused glow behind her eyes, the woman snickered and spoke in a playful tone:

"Cheating? Well, if you are trying to have an honorable duel, maybe. But from what I've seen, most fights are about managing to come out of it without losing your life or limbs. So I'd say that's not cheating, but an edge so you don't get screwed over."

As Aiko wriggled her nose, she tapped Hannah's blade with her own blood sword and continued. 

"I guess I can use some live training. If your spirit has any pointers to share, let me know." 

"For some, victory is of less concern than how the victory is achieved. A gentleman may be killed, but he may not be insulted, after all" Hannah would tell Aiko. It was a strange philosophy, but an interesting one none the less.

Hannah would then, with no warning, shift fowards and strike for Aiko's face with the blade, her footwork as keen as the edge of the sword rapidly closing in.

"Makes sense. Not all paths to victory are worth it."

Quick to remark, Aiko used her body's instinct to try and defend herself by having the blood blade in her hand shift to block Hannah's strike at her face. Of course, while Aiko was a bit speedy, she wasn't expecting to be able to handle the sting of their blades clashing against one another.

As an excited grunt left her mouth, the woman flexed her wings as a bolt of scarlet light ignited around her body. She knew it was in her best interest to keep her head on a swivel as her hands shook, her body flowed with adrenaline, and her mouth felt rich with the taste of iron as her blood powers were boiling.

"Integrate with the system? That's a good idea."

Muttering to herself with a look of determination behind her gaze, Aiko's eyes flashed red as she propelled herself forward at high speed to slash through Hannah with a strike of her blood blade. And even if she had missed, the woman's prowess would unleash another wave of scarlet energy meant to follow up and expand for half a city block before dispersing.

Heart racing, Aiko was curious to see the effects and knew this would force her to grow in some way or another. She just had to see the results.

"Strikes to the face often cause a gut reaction, but you-"

Hannah was cut off by the sudden and abrupt launch of the woman at Hannah. She managed to get out of the way a bit, but it still opened up her side with a huge and nasty cut. Fortunately, being a Shinigami meant bleeding was what she was designed for, and so she turned to the wave of energy and errected a Danku.

"Ok. So...less talking, more fighting?" Hannah would ask, leaning to one side.