Princess & Dog[Hana, Koga]

Koga was rarely a man who faltered on his word. For as underhanded as he was on the battlefield and even in life to a degree, when it came to honoring a promise, he made it a habit to honor his word. To him, word was bond. Ever since his date with Hana, he'd curiously wondered about her progress. What had she done in his absence? Did she accomplish what she desired so far, or was she still lacking? These were the series of questions that cycle through his mind as he contacted her via soul pager. He was somewhere outside the barracks of the seventh division. He didn't want to interrupt if she was busy, so he'd bide his time until she found some free time to speak with him.

Hana was winding down from a training session when her soul pager went off. Out of the names she expected to show up, Koga Habaki was not one of them. Yes, it was his full name. Hana put everyone’s full name into her soul pager out of habit.

Hana returned a message that she was almost done with training and would meet him outside. Curious about what he wanted, Hana shortened her training and even chose not to shower immediately. Instead, she applied some nice flowery perfume to minimize any icky smell, brushed her hair back, and made her way outside to the barracks. Once she spotted him, Hana quickly jogged over.

“Hello, Koga,” she said with a smile, a light pinkness to her cheeks. The last memory she had of him was their date night, where he was all dressed up and on his best behavior. She found the contrast from then to now endearing. “What can I help you with?” she asked, taking a wet towel and wiping her face down.

"Ya busy? I was hopin' I could make good on my word and show ya the ropes..."

Koga was, as always, blunt in his delivery and intention, but his gaze indicated the genuine interest he held in her progress. Recalling her last conversation, she genuinely wanted to make a significant effort to prove her worth, and he was overwhelmingly invested in pushing her ever further towards that goal. Of course, he recognized that not everyone was prepared for training or any sort of action as he was, so he politely waved his hand for a moment before flashing a fierce grin. That's right. He remembered their first meeting vividly. She seemed to be someone akin to a noble, and since he was improving on his manners, it only served him well enough to address her politely, even more so since part of his desire was securing a second date.

"...Or catch up on lost times, if that's more yer style. Sorry about that. Workin' on addressin' folk a certain way. How've ya been since the last time we spoke?"

Hana was already a mess because of a training session, so continuing for a while longer did not bother her, especially if she could learn something new, or even go all out. She had gained her shikai since the last they met, so maybe he could help there with that? “I have been lovely, and I did finally gain my shikai,” Hana said with a bright smile, cheeks still joyously pink. “If you have time, I would enjoy any combat tips you could give me. It is definitely still one of my weakest subjects…”

"Good, good. That's music to my ears. And sure! I don't mind helpin' ya out one bit. I promised to show ya the ropes, after all! Let's see..."

Koga's eyes surveyed the current area in search of a proper area to train uninterrupted. Though perhaps that wasn't neccessary. If he was simulating real battle, perhaps a little attention and chaos wouldn't hurt. Then again, gazing back at that bright smile of hers, he wondered if that was the best idea. Nah, a quiet training ground seemed ideal. He didn't want the wandering gazes and questioning voices distracting her.

Beckoning her to follow him to a part of the barracks where she could train unhindered, he pulled out a wooden blade from his kimono, clear indication that he had come prepared. He would use his zanpakuto eventually, but he wanted to see how she operated applying the basic tenets of battle.

"Alright. Let's see how ya work with the basics. Come at me as hard as ya need to. First and foremost, rule number one in any fight is to be decisive. Once ya think of an action, don't overthink it. Strike and then adapt to whatever your opponent throws out next, got it?"

Hana waited patiently as Koga made his decision, her smile never fading. Once beckoned to follow, she hurried along with him, her towel draped over her shoulder as she walked. As they arrived in an empty training area, Hana tilted her head at the appearing wooden sword. She took a look around, hoping one of those practice-weapon racks was around, but didn’t see one. Was he expecting her to use her zanpakuto while he used a wooden sword? Hana’s eyes fluttered as he asked her to come at him. He really was expecting her to pull out a real sword…

“Oh, I, uh… I would prefer not fighting with my zanpakuto if your own is sheathed; wouldn’t that be unfair and dangerous?” Hana was not one to overestimate herself in any way. She knew she was weak, but she was also not the type to take risks. She already hurt Hono once, and was happy that ended up okay, but not everyone was like that, and she had no interest in angering Koga. “Are you sure?”

"Don't worry about any of that too much. Quite frankly, in live battle, the last thing ya should be worried about is fightin' fair. Worst ya can do is cut me up pretty badly. Even if ya' do, I'll just go to the second division and come back good as new."

Koga waved his hand to assuage her worries. He understood she was trying to be polite, but that had no place here in his definition of combat. Even so, he assumed she probably needed some reassurance. As such, he pointed his shinai forward, grinning from ear to ear. Assuming a defensive stance, he beckoned her forward, calling out to her again.

"Come on. Don't be shy. I know you're capable of somethin' great. Pretend I'm one of those people that overlooked and dismissed ya, if that helps. So, let loose and attack!"

“The worst thing I could do is kill you!” Hana rapidly and loudly disagreed. Still, she sighed in defeat and unsheathed her zanpakuto. She was worried, but trusted his own confidence. She couldn’t hurt him. Taking a deep breath, Hana readied herself to attack him. She thought for a moment, bringing certain faces to her mind. Who did she want to fight here? She wouldn’t choose her Captain because she actually wanted to hurt that hateful woman. She could choose Akira, but she feared having to fight him again. Her parents? Nah, she kept those two out of mind.

Hiroe. Yeah, she worked. Hana wouldn’t go all out against Hiroe, but still wanted to beat her up for abandoning her. Ready, and with a fierce look in her eyes, Hana rushed forward toward Koga, initiating her first attack by bringing her sword above her head and swinging downward toward her sparring partner. Get beat up, Hiroe!

"Haha! Shit. You're right. I mean, I'm sure yer already aware of this... but that's what most of the textbooks say anyway. In battle, ya gotta be prepared to give yer life in the name of the Gotei and the Soul King. Anyway, fine. Go at your own pace, but don't hold back too much, alright?"

Koga understood her worry to some degree, but it didn't particularly bother him. He fought in countless battles where he waged his life to seize victory, and although he thought highly of Hana, he hardly believed he would meet his end here of all places. At any rate, she shot forward and executed her attack. Good stance and form. At the very least, she had the base fundamentals down.

Lifting his sword to block the downward strike, he studied the force behind it. It was enough to chip the blade to a degree, but part of him could tell she wasn't attempting to attack him with full force. There wasn't a tremendous aggression behind it, but it was a good start, and that's all that mattered to him.

Moving one foot forward, he pressured her by pressing his shinai against her zanpakuto. Now, he wanted to see how she adapted. It was a basic maneuver. Force her back through brute strength. It was a relatively easy strategy to adapt to if she knew the basic tenets of combat.

"Not bad, not bad. Can still tell yer not aimin' to go at this with full force, though, but that's fine! Show me how well ya adapt by throwin' out a counterattack! Come on!"

“I guess we shall give this our all?” Hana said with a smirk on her face right before moving in for that first attack. He blocked her easily and pressed back against her. Using that momentum, Hana stepped back a few feet. He challenged her again about going full force. She wasn’t used to this. She wasn’t sure she wanted to get used to fighting like this, but… it was her job. Hana looked at her zanpakuto, a concerned expression. “It’s okay; trust in him and his guidance.” “What if I hurt him?” “You have medics for that. He's giving you permission. Now go.”

Hana took in a breath and looked up to Koga. “Fine,” she said, her eyes focused more than ever. “Let’s go.” Hana shunpo’d forward suddenly, her reiatsu being released as she decided to actually try and push him. She appeared at Koga’s side and swung her sword around and toward the man’s chest in an attempt to cut him. As she released her reiatsu, the air around them began to feel colder.