Forged in Guilt, Part 2 [Koga/Hana]

When the morning came, Hana was even more determined to prove herself and get stronger. She wasn’t training with just anyone today, but her boyfriend. She couldn’t let him down, not again. With how much Koga enjoyed battle, she thought maybe she could even learn how to enjoy the process. So, out of a mixture of excitement and impatient, Hana showed up at Koga’s door about thirty minute earlier than she was supposed to, with her zanpakuto at her waist, and the desire to get moving as quickly as possible. By the time she realized how early she was... well, she was already… knocking.

Knock… knock…Knock, knock, knock,knock,knocknockknockknock…’

Hana finally stopped her incessant knocking and cupped her hands in front of her, head slightly lowered as she waited patiently for him to open the door. Shyly, she sucked her lips in between her teeth, hoping he wouldn't be mad at her. ‘Maybe… I should have waited… He might even be asleep…’

HABAKI KOGA | STRAY DOG

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Koga opened the door to a shy Hana whose cheeks were already a flushed in red. With his hand on her cheek, Hana leaned into it a little before suddenly throwing her arms around Koga in a playful tackle. “Good morning, Koga,” she said, realizing she should come up with a nickname for him, but what kind?! That had to be a project for another time because they had to train. Hana was all dressed up in an old training gi of hers and ready to get going.

"Were you still sleeping? I can wait, if you need more time to get ready."

HABAKI KOGA | STRAY DOG

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Hana gave a delighted nod and then playfully mimicked his thinking pose by putting a hand on her own hip. “I would prefer finding a spot near the outskirts of the Rukongai, or an area that has been abandoned due to the invasion. There was an area Tento and I trained together a few days ago. Why not there?”

With her smile never fading, Hana led the way toward that area. It had been cleared and abandoned since it was pretty far out. Once they were out of the Seireitei, however, Hana slowed down. She pulled out a small frosted pastry from her pocket, something she clearly bought from a nearby shop, and handed it to him. "Here, I want to make sure you aren't training on an empty stomach."

HABAKI KOGA | STRAY DOG

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Hana’s new schedule was very ‘early riser,’ so she had eaten. It was on the way to Koga’s place that she realized maybe he had not. If she hadn’t, she would have bought more than just that, not wanting to take any of his food. “No worries; I made sure to eat this morning,” she explained and kept up a brisk pace toward the training area, choosing not to shunpo until he had finished eating. “Once you finish, we shall quicken our pace once more. We have a full day ahead of us!” Hana said excitedly, looking forward to another training session with him. The last time they tried, she walked away with a broken collar bone… It was time to replace that memory with something more successful.

HABAKI KOGA | STRAY DOG

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With their previous conversations, Hana had made it very clear that her intention was to train until her body dropped. She needed to get stronger, faster, tougher… and the only way to do that was to not be babied. She would not tolerate that again. So, when the two arrived in a safe area, the same area she had initially trained with Tento, she gave a nod and prepared herself.

Hana pulled her zanpakuto from its sheath, gripping the handle firmly. Before beginning, she let the face of the man she planned to destroy resurface in her mind. She thought his name over and over again, until finally she tightened the grip on her weapon and stepped forward to shunpo. Vanishing, she reappeared by Koga’s side with an uncharacteristic seriousness, a hardened focus in her eyes. Her reiatsu spread across their little arena, coated her blade to sharpen it further, and she swung the sharp end with fury at Koga’s side. In Hana’s demeanor and reiatsu, Koga could sense it… a true intent to kill.

HABAKI KOGA | STRAY DOG

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