Reasonable Suspicion [Kaito/Hana]

“Pointless,” Hana muttered, rolling her eyes at him. She looked toward the door, ready to leave. Hana had no idea why Hiroe would ever even consider this man romantically. Hiroe was better than him, something he likely knew since he ‘couldn’t keep up.’ Repeating his reasons in her mind infuriated her more. She clenched her fists and turned her attention back to him. Her eyes closed. “You are an idiot.”

“Hiroe has reached her level of ability because she strengthened her mind as much as her body. She has moved away from breaking herself and has learned what her limitations are… Look at you,” Hana’s tone snapped, opened her eyes, and gestured to all of him. “Your body is breaking. You have trained yourself into uselessness. You shame yourself with weak goals and an even weaker mind.”

A deep breath, and her demeanor softened, her brow furrowed as her eyes shifted to the floor beside his bed. “You are not the only one who has lost themselves in this way,” Hana said, secretly speaking of a few of her own problems. “It is not smart to harm yourself like this. Hiroe is interested in strong, confident men who do not buckle under pressure. Can you be that man if you are always broken?”

Even with a low voice, Kaito heard it, and even just that word stung. At first, his fingers coiled tightly around his Zanpakuto, part of him wanting to draw it and lash out at her. But, he held his tongue and kept himself in check. It's not like attacking her, verbally or physically, would do anything good for him. He took a moment to look at himself, his shoulder and elbow wrapped to keep it from moving, bruises and cuts all over what skin showed.

A soft sigh came from Hana's direction, and as Kaito stole a glance, he could see the mysterious spirit of his sword standing behind her, it's mask lifted to reveal its mouth in a disapproving frown. Even though he couldn't see the rest of its face, there was something that told him that the eyes that lay behind that mask held equal disappointment and concern, yet called with a voice akin to that of a mother.

'First me, then your teachers, then Byakuya, and now this girl. When will you start listening, child? I don't want to see you destroy yourself.'

A hand left the sword, slowly reaching toward his injured shoulder. He wasn't useless yet. His goals weren't weak. He wanted to -- needed to get stronger -- to protect his home, to stop the criminals who ran amok, to give back to the people who were good to him.

He wanted to be good enough, but even fate picked its favorites.

He knew that his lack of talent would only get him so far, but he still wanted to defy that fate, to go beyond his limits and prove that even a nobody like him could reach the top. His attention went back to Hana as she continued, recounting almost exactly what the spirit had said.

But, he couldn't form the words to respond -- he didn't know what to say in response to that. So, instead, all he did was look to his sword, his head lowered slightly.

Watching him let Hana see the self-reflection Kaito was going through. She wasn’t sure how her words hit, but his silence was enough to let her know they did something. Hana’s intentions were to protect Hiroe. Her best friend needed someone strong, but also smart, and Hana learned recently enough that strength came in many different ways. It wasn’t always about how well a sword was used.

Hana felt a tinge of guilt at his expression and Hana sighed. She walked over to Kaito again, placing a hand on his shoulder and showing a small smile. “Though you are clearly making questionable decisions, I am confident Hiroe prefers you healthy. ” Hana removed her hand from his shoulder and made her way to the door. “I will check on you in the morning. Let your body rest, Kaito.” Hana waved and walked out of the room to return home. Kaito was... not a bad man.