No Good Deeds [Noharu, Erica]

“My other teachers got annoyed with me because I spent too much time on Kido and little else.” Erica answered with a laugh. “I was so invested in learning how to heal that everything else kind of fell to the wayside a bit. As far as spell slinging goes, I’m pretty advanced in the field and I can manage a Hadō 88 if I focus properly. It’s just that I’ve always struggled with the idea of violence, you see. I joined the Gotei to heal rather than harm, if you get my meaning. My Hoho is pretty good and I can move around without any issues but my Hakuda and Zanjutsu are passable at best. I could never get into those arts because of the thought of who I might be using them against. My pacifism holds me back when it comes to those arts.”

She fell silent for a bit, her expression clouding a little as she kept working, thinking about her previous words. Erica knew that she should make an effort to try to get to grips with the other arts and there was a part of her which wanted to ask around for help. She’d recently talked to Hannah, another Teacher at the Academy, who’d helped her in trying to overcome her fear of causing harm and while the pink haired woman had definitely benefited from the talk, it was just difficult to suddenly start enjoying something that she’d despised for so long.

“I promised myself that I would try and develop my other skills. It’s just taking that first step, you know? A part of me is worried that I’ll walk up to someone who I’d like to train me, explain my situation and they’ll just laugh and belittle me rather than try to understand. I don’t think disliking combat is a bad thing per se, as it means I’m more open to finding other solutions to a problem but not everyone sees it that way. I imagine that the woman who attacked you would just call me weak.” Erica answered, her tone rather neutral, compared to her usual cheerful tone. “I admit that the thought of learning how to defeat someone without killing them is appealing to me though, even if it is with Hakuda or Zanjutsu.”

After a second or two, she chuckled and added with a touch of self awareness. "I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be boring you with my problems.”

Her smile returning, the Kaido user would nod with appreciation as Noharu’s wound started to fade away, returning to its normal state as the seconds went by. “Now we’re getting somewhere.” She commented brightly.

“I appreciate that. I’ll make sure to visit the Eighth then when I have a day off and get in a workout with you guys.” Erica replied with a grin, feeling a little more like her usual chirpy self. She was a little annoyed that she’d allowed her own issues to pop up like that, thinking that it may have been a tad unprofessional on her part but she didn’t let it bother her for long. Noharu didn’t seem to be upset or bothered so maybe she shouldn’t be either? The pink haired woman had to admit that she liked the blonde’s rather laid back approach to things and she was definitely easy to talk to. Erica hoped that she was the same, as she always strived to be.

Now that Noharu’s spiritual energy was at full strength, it was much easier for Erica to heal the wound and the difference would become more and more noticeable. The pink haired girl was confident that her patient would end up without a scar and would soon be as good as new. She believed in her Kido talents and that was where her pride truly lay.

“Speaking of your Squad, I was healing a member of your Squad the other day. His name was Ranma and he came here after having a bit of an accident while training. Have you met him before?” She asked curiously, wondering how her friend was getting along. They’d hit it off quite well.

It was nice to have somewhere else to train and Erica would definitely take up the offer when she had the time. There were gaps in her skill set and she knew that well enough but they’d always been more of a choice than anything else. She’d known what she’d wanted to train in from the start and had kind of neglected the other arts. Yet, now that she’d actually spoken to a few of her fellow Shinigami, Erica had come to realise that perhaps she’d been a little narrow minded and that she should open up a little more about such things. She’d do her best anyway and see if she could get to grips with the arts that she’d been a little timid to try.

Erica cringed when Noharu spoke about the circumstances regarding her meeting Ranma and a sigh escaped her lips. She knew that he had a habit of getting into trouble and the pink haired woman wasn’t surprised to hear that he’d been involved in the blonde’s confrontation with the Squad 4 brute.

“I warned him about getting into trouble and to focus on getting better.” The healer replied with a wry smile. “He seems to be a bit of a magnet when it comes to getting himself into tough spots though, so I suppose I shouldn’t be shocked. I hope that he got himself healed after the fight, as the last thing he needs is to be taking any more beatings.”

She chuckled then as Noharu mentioned whether Ranma was special and she willingly added. “He asked me out and I said yes. I’m not sure what it is about him but we hit it off straight away. He can be quite the charmer when he wants to be.”

All the while, Noharu’s wound would continue to improve in colour and texture, the injury fading away by the moment. Erica was most certainly pleased with how things were going and she had no doubt that soon enough, her patient would be fit and healthy again.