Princess & Dog[Hana, Koga]

"Of course."

Voicing his answer with zero hesitation, he flashed a playful grin as he nodded his head. He definitely didn't mind a second date, though it surprised him that she would ask it without any hesitation on her part, either. He wondered if he was slowly making progress in clawing his way into her heart. His masculine pride felt accomplishment in that, but he wasn't trying to get too far from the point here. After all, he wanted to make Hana feel as though she was walking away from this with a lesson of some kind. He didn't want their spar to be a lost cause.

"I'd love to take ya out on another date now that I've got the hang of it. For now, though, let's see if we can take it from the top. Remember, there is nothing wrong with fighting to protect someone. Sure, I'm not a hollow, so it's probably difficult for ya to strike me down, or anyone else for that matter, but I assure you that any enemy you face, humanoid or not, won't be so kind. In times like those, ya just have to adapt."

Hana’s eyes widened and her cheeks pinkened as she looked away from Koga, putting her hands over her chest. She was not expecting such a blunt and immediate answer. It was flattering, but made her kind of nervous. Was that kindness or interest? Or was he just using her to test his dating skill? Her nervous mind went so many different places, but Hana wouldn’t know the difference.

“Th-That is very kind of you,” Hana said, trying to smile, but her embarrassment keeping her from one. Taking a deep breath, Hana moved into a fighting stance once more, welcoming the change of subject. Right now, fighting sounded much better than attempting to understand this man’s intentions about dating someone like her. “I am ready to begin again,” Hana said, raising her zanpakuto.

Once Koga confirmed he was ready, Hana charged forward with maximum effort, but choosing not to use shunpo in this moment. She needed to learn to understand her own body, how to move it, and how to push it to its limits without any techniques. Once she reached Koga, she swung her sword at the man, aiming for his chest, feeling like center-mass was the best target for now. As usual, her form was fantastic for the fundamental moves she was making, but she could learn.

"Heh, that's the spirit. Let's do this."

Rising from the ground at the same time she did, Koga reassumed a defensive stance, employed to a degree where he could read, react, and counter all within the space of a single movement.

As opposed to earlier, he didn't intend on going too easy on her now. He'd hold back enough to allow her to match him, but anything else was off the table now. He wanted to ignite some form of competition in this woman's spirit, after all.

As if on cue, after he confirmed he was ready, she shot forward again, without shunpo to carry her charge this time. Impressive. Striking at his center was a good place to start, considering their massive size difference. Even so, that didn't mean he'd let her strike him so easily this time. Stepping toward her, he took that chilling cut to the chest with a grunt, swinging his wooden blade down against her shoulder.

"Hyah!"

Hana was shocked… again. ‘HE JUST TOOK IT?!’ She wasn’t absolutely certain, but the way he moved made her think that Koga let her hit him, like it was some strategy… or a trick? What the hell!? Who was okay with feeling pain!?

Hana had no chance of dodging the incoming strike. The wooden blade slammed against her shoulder, and the pain was immense. However, she pushed herself to keep going, like him. He was cut and fought anyways, so she should too.

Hana went to swing the blade upwards from a lower point, still aiming for Koga's center mass and putting as much effort as she could into it. However, she was fighting through grit teeth and her speed her notably slowed down.

In that split second where they clashed, Koga found himself impressed by Hana's mettle. She didn't take a step back and retreat or dodge to the side. The thought of evasion seemingly the furthest thing from her mind. A strike to her shoulder and she went in to strike at his center.

Enhanced by her zanpakuto, it was no rudimentary strike that he could simply ignore with brute force. In truth, that one stunned him and he stumbled back for a split second. If any Hana had listened to anything he said before, this was a moment of opportunity. Whether she would pursue it or not, left entirely up to her.

Seeing Koga stumble back shot a bit of adrenaline through her veins. She had listened to him and took it all to heart. She couldn’t hesitate, even with the pain increasing in her shoulder. Somehow, she was able to find purchase and cut open his chest. Taking the opportunity, after stunning him, she immediately brought her blade up to his neck and stopped right before she would have cut his head off.

“I got you,” Hana said, breathing heavily and with a proud smile. A moment later, she took a step back and dropped to the floor. She laid her zanpakuto on the ground and brought her hand up to the shoulder he struck. She regretted taking that hit. It hurt so badly. “I got you… I did it… Ow…” Hana winced, gritting her teeth and trying hard not to be a crybaby in this moment. “It’s okay… It hurts, but it’s okay.”

"Heh... shit, ya sure did. I'm real proud of ya, Hana. Weathered the storm to go in for one hell of a followup."

Koga gazed down at her with a prideful grin as he looked at the sword poised at his neck. As the simulated opponent, he was effectively dead now. This was Hana's victory, and he was proud of her for sticking through it in spite of the adversity. Exhaling softly, he reached over to pat her shoulder as he nodded his head. Even if it wasn't an actual blade, there was sure to be some soreness accompanying her shoulder. No pain, no gain, right? Of course.

"Obviously goes without sayin', but it's yer win, Hana. Good work."

Since Koga didn’t seem to notice that Hana was hurt, she stood up and tried to muscle through the pain. She tensed when he pat her shoulder, closing her eyes to hide the pain even more. After taking a deep breath, Hana leaned down and picked up her zanpakuto, sheathing it with her uninjured arm.

“Thank you, Koga. I really appreciate all of your help, but I… um…” Hana cleared her throat and looked toward the exit. “I am done with training for the day." Trying not to show any weakness, Hana turned away from Koga, choosing not to wave.

"Have a wonderful night!" Hana said. Normally, she'd stay to plan their date, but she really wanted to get to the hospital to get some kaido used on her shoulder.