Up Until Then [Kyo, Mizu]

With everything in Soul Society lately, Kyo hadn't really had much time to himself. But, maybe just as importantly, he hadn't had much time to spend with everyone else, either. What little free time he did have had been largely spent working with Kasha on their plans for the future, too. Important, to be sure, but he'd be lying if he said it was always the most soothing for the spirit.

So, naturally, he'd sent a message to see if Mizu was free for a little bit of time between just the two of them. It'd be good to unwind, and for once, most of the family was away, so it could be quiet. If he were a lesser man, he might have simply asked if she wanted to come over, but he wasn't so half-hearted. He checked when she would be free, and instead of simply going to meet her, he stopped to get flowers first.

Was it a bit much? Maybe, but Kyo was hardly a subtle man, and he was all too happy to shower Mizu in a bit more affection than normal with how busy things had been of late.

When Morikawa Mizu received her boyfriend's message asking if she had some free time, her heart nearly leapt out of her chest. Did she have free time? For him?! She couldn't think of a better person to be with today, her tired brain and body desperate to escape the maw of work. In the past she would never have left anything undone, any amount of work unfinished, but for Kyo she was more than willing to make an exception.

Having doled out orders to a couple of her squadmates in the Second, Mizu was satisfied with the state of things at the Barracks. For now, at least. Tomorrow would no doubt bring its fair share of problems to resolve, but that was for then! After adjusting her Shihakushō and hair so that she seemed slightly less out of sorts, Mizu grabbed her Zanpakuto from where it leaned against her desk, clipped it to her hip, and made her way out of the Division and out onto a nearby Seireitei street where she agreed to meet Kyo. Like every other time she met up with her own personal shining Sun, butterflies filled Mizu's stomach as she waited to be whisked away from this place.

"Why, good afternoon, fine young lady. Having a good day?"

Kyo smiled a bit playfully as he greeted Mizu in a little joking way, holding out the small bouquet of azaleas that he'd picked out for her. He didn't know what her favorite flowers were, but he felt like picking something in time with the season was something you could never go wrong with.

"If you're interested, dinner will be ready soon at the estate. I thought you might appreciate a nice meal to relax after work."

Not that he thought Mizu would necessarily need that little period of relaxation, but he could certainly imagine she'd appreciate it.

The way Kyo spoke to her, as if he was the elder one in this relationship, always managed to turn Mizu's cheeks an embarrassed scarlet. She was after all older than him by a handful of years, and even a Vice Captain; yet here he was calling her a fine young lady. Her attention shifted from his words to his hands as he held out a bouquet for her to take, which she gratefully did before quickly thanking him "They're beautiful, thank you Kyo!"

As she lifted and smelled the pink and red flowers, Mizu heard the mention of dinner and relaxation and her smile grew even more, her cheeks nearly hurting from the wide grin pushing against them. Tilting her head back, she turned her golden orbs up to stare into Kyo's and spoke again, her voice like a songbird's "That sounds just wonderful...I can't think of anything else I'd rather do right now."

Looking into Kyo's eyes lit a fire in her, empowering Mizu with a, likely temporary, amount of assertiveness. Reaching out, she interlaced her fingers with his and gently held his hand before taking the lead and heading in the direction of his family's manor.

Mizu's embarrassment was profoundly endearing, so far as Kyo was concerned, and he walked closely to her as their fingers intertwined. Though he kept it to himself, as he didn't dare to jinx the matter, there wasn't much more radiant than when Mizu became so bold. He simply followed her with a warm smile of his own, letting her lead on even as they arrived at the estate itself, the front gate thankfully opening courtesy of some unseen attendants.

"I hope you don't mind if dinner is in my quarters? I didn't want to make the attendants ready the whole dining room if the family's away. And as much as I'd love to surprise you with a statue that showed how lovely you are, I haven't quite had the time for something like that. Besides, I don't think I could ever get that much beauty across in stone."

Kyo gave the tiny girl a confident grin after that one, always willing to see her reaction when he offered such bold affection. It wasn't as if she didn't deserve the compliments, after all.

In Mizu's mind, there were no connotations or implications associated with being invited to a boy's room; a naivety born of inexperience. Even if she had known about these stereotypes, she probably still would've been comfortable accepting an invitation from a man she trusts so thoroughly like Kyo, though perhaps her face would've been even redder somehow.

"I don't mind at all as long as I'm with you, Kyo." said Mizu lovingly as they walked hand-in-hand through the Seireitei. Being complimented in such a way, particularly by a man, was still something Mizu was getting to used to. This was her first relationship, and growing up she was never the one amongst her siblings showed such affection. All she could do when Kyo spoke to her like this was smile until it hurts.

As they neared the Sawachika estate, Mizu more and more caught herself looking up and staring at Kyo's face as he looked ahead, admiring every sharp, chiseled angle he had. How had she gotten so lucky? Some days she couldn't understand, nor comprehend it. Somehow, some way, Mizu had managed to convince this statue of a man to settle for someone like her. Letting out a deep sigh, she gripped Kyo's thick arm with her other hand and rested her head against him as they kept walking.

Such an affirmation of trust was the sort of thing that any man would have had trouble staying totally composed at hearing, and a faint blush crossed Kyo's face as he walked along, a blush that only deepened itself all the more as he realized how closely she was holding herself. He was glad, at least, that the walls of the estate would hide any particular embarrassment on his end, and he led her through the gardens at a fairly relaxed pace, hardly in much of a hurry to bring an end to this.

"I'm glad to have some time to ourselves, for once. I've missed you."

Kyo wasn't one to hide how he felt, as so many his age seemed to be; the way of any Sawachika man was to be bold, confident in one's feelings. How else could he word it, then, but to say it in the most straightforward way possible? He had missed her, in no small way. The fact that they had both been busy with work had in some ways made the longing easier to handle, but in other ways had only made it more difficult. After all, it was hard to know one's duty, a cornerstone of his life, could conflict with his feelings.

As Kyo told her he missed her, Mizu couldn't help but smile so widely her cheeks, now redder than she could remember, hurt. Instead of repeating the same back to him, she allowed the silence, broken up only by the subtle thuds of their footsteps, to linger. She knew in her heart and soul he understood his feelings were wholly mutual, and didn't want to disrupt the quiet peace they'd found as they made their way through the expansive Sawachika Estate gardens.

Though she had hardly grown up in one of the more impoverished Rukongai Districts, even compared to her family's estate Mizu was always in amazement at the splendor of true nobility. She wasn't one to place any special importance on wealth or luxury, but her eyes couldn't resist being drawn to the various statues, flowers, carefully upkept shrubs and hedges and architecture of this place. It was a reminder of how privileged they were to be here, and of the fairer world she wanted to help create with the Gotei.

Eventually they made it to their destination, the place Kyo called home. Mizu looked up to his eyes again and spoke with cheer "Finally here!"

That splendor of nobility was, itself, something Kyo too often thought on as he walked through his estate. He was under no illusions that his life had been anything other than comfortable, outright luxurious compared to the overwhelming majority of the Soul Society. But his parents had never let him think anything else, never allowed the typical smug superiority to be instilled on their children. His mother, after all, had come from one of the furthest districts; that poverty was far from alien to their household.

But Kyo was quickly shaken from his deep musings by the girl he walked with, something he was rather thankful for. He was the sort to get lost in his thoughts if he let them get too away from him, and he would definitely rather focus on Mizu for the time being.

"So we are. We've done a lot of walking through the estate, you know. Should I carry you the rest of the way?"

There was a faint smirk on Kyo's face as he posited that question, knowing that it might embarrass Mizu a little bit. But, at the same time, he definitely wasn't opposed to the notion of holding her like that. It was a genuine offer.

With reddened cheeks, Mizu gave her answer, maybe an unexpected one, to Kyo's offer to carry her "As nice as it would be to be held by you, I'm happy on my own two feet, Kyo. Besides...the n-night is young." The idea of physical affection beyond mere hugging was still a foreign, scary concept for Mizu, though she was doing her best to work past any awkward reservations she still had.

At the same time, her size, specifically her small stature, had always been something Mizu was aware of. Others were blessed with mighty, intimidating bodies, Kyo included, while she felt there was an element of being taken less seriously because she's small. She had never worked up the courage to ask if her Captain felt similarly, though she made a mental note to finally do so next time they meet. Mizu couldn't deny there was no guarantee size meant strength for Shinigami, after all she knew she could overpower some much larger members of the Gotei, but it was still something she gave subconscious consideration.

Mizu gave Kyo's hand a squeeze with her own then spoke again "What's the plan now that we're here Kyo?"