The Shy and the Confident

[Scarlet]

Practicing on the roof of her workplace wasn’t something that Hikari really felt comfortable with, it was the first time she was up here. Believing that practicing the handling of her Fullbring was the most essential thing she could do right now. The biggest problem would be where she could practice. Normally pushing aside some of the other usual things she did day to day at home so she could practice outside. Living on the outskirts of Karakura meant she didn’t have that many people around, but it also meant if a Hollow or Demons attacked once again she wouldn’t be here to save anyone. Although she’d only unlocked her powers a couple months ago she felt like she learned a lot since then, while at the same time knowing she knew practically nothing compared to others.

When she realized this she came to the conclusion that in order to really protect the people of Karakura alongside the others like Amare she would have to dedicate herself to achieving what they told her was possible. Shimada-sama had told her quite a lot about being a Fullbringer, but based on all that and what Amare had said she was still only on the cusp of her power. Managing to pull on her Fullbring, to alter its form, to turn it into what it really wanted to be. That felt like such a major accomplishment that even now still holding the double headed battle ax in her right hand Hikari felt pride. This weapon was like nothing else she’d ever seen, even looking at it let alone holding it right now gave her a sensation that she just couldn’t put into words. It was something to be proud of and now she had to reach a level that would allow her Fullbring to have pride in her.

Somewhere around eight o’clock at night now the sun was setting and the darkness was creeping in, she couldn’t hear anything outside the norm, nor the screams of someone in trouble. Everything just seemed like a typical night which was good. It would let her keep swinging her Fullbring both vertically up and down, horizontally from one side to another over and over dozens and dozens of times. She had to train these motions, to feel the difference. Getting used to the size difference and form difference between her Fullbring and a normal ax was going to take some work, but it was something that would save her life and the lives of others. Little did Hikari know though that someone she’d met only a short time ago was in the area and perhaps they could help each other strive for the greatness they each seek.

[Date Maharo]

Maharo had begun feeling more comfortable in the World of the Living more than in the Seireitei, at least in some aspects. For one; most of those that dwelled in it couldn't see them at all. They could walk through the most crowded areas without feeling dozens of pairs of eyes drilling into them. On the other hand, of course, they were significantly more vulnerable to being attacked by a Hollow in the World of the Living, or even one of those Arrancar. There were also Fullbringers, which they had learned first-hand simply walked among humans, which meant that their comfort in not being seen by humans wasn't even entirely consistent. Okay, maybe they aren't actually all that comfortable walking amongst humans. It just felt nice to get away from the prying eyes of their fellow Shinigami.

Thankfully, the masked Shinigami was enjoying a visit later in the day, meaning that fewer people would be out and about in the city, plus visibility would be significantly reduced. Surely it was entirely unlikely that they would be seen by anyone. As for the reason for their visit, they had been sent to monitor the barrier between worlds, how susceptible the area may be to Hollow incursion and such. Being in Karakura, the barrier would generally be weaker than in other parts of the World of the Living, but it was still important to keep an eye out for any odd fluctuations in its condition.

They hopped through the city, from rooftop to rooftop with the occasional air-ground to bridge gaps. They held in their hand an odd gizmo from those in the Twelfth Division which both read and recorded the status of the barrier. All they had to do was follow a route through the city, let the machine do its thing, and keep an eye on the screen to make sure that everything is as it should be. An easy task, though perhaps Maharo took that last piece of instruction too seriously, as with their eyes glued to the device's screen, they only noticed the practicing Fullbringer when they had nearly lept directly into the blade of her axe.

With an undignified yelp, the tall Shinigami scrambled, nearly dropping the device as they backed away and reached for their wakizashi. They ended up holding the device out in front of them like a weapon while holding their zanpakuto close to their chest as though to defend it. They wordlessly stared at the Fullbringer, unaware of their mix-up between weapon and device. It was a few seconds before they realized that she had not been attacking them intentionally. Upon this realization, they quickly stowed their weapon and straightened up as though they hadn't just made a fool of themself.

They cleared their throat before speaking. "Should probably uh, watch where you're swinging that." After another moment, they continued. "Apologies for intruding."

[Scarlet]

Hikari one moment was practicing the movements of her Fullbring on the surface of the roof and then the next she saw a familiar large figure right in front of her. Doing her best to just stop her swing Hikari really didn’t expect the sensation of fighting against her own movements. The placement of her feet, weight of her body moving with her arms through the swing, to stop on a dime wasn’t something she ever really expected especially right now!

Right away though Hikari could recognize the figure in front of her, not just due to the immense physical size of the individual, but the mask that covered his face. Only a few weeks ago if it’d been that long Hikari came across a Shinigami who’d been standing on top of a street light. Now though, Shinigami was here again with the same mask that concealed his face. “Maharo! What’re you thinking you’re too big to be jumping without looking. Wait how’d you just appear in front of me?”

Hikari had seen the way that Maharo was gripping at their zanpakuto which got her thinking, perhaps she could turn this into something really worth the time. Practicing by herself could only get her so far, she’d learned that already after covering much more ground from putting herself in danger against Hollows. Maybe she could get the hang of her Fullbring better if she could convince Maharo to practice with her. Although figuring out how he’d just appeared was more important now.

[Date Maharo]

Maharo really didn't want to admit that it was their own fault they'd nearly taken an axe to the face, but there didn't seem to be much of a chance of avoiding that. They were thinking about running away without another word, as rude as that would be. This whole situation was just too embarrassing for the masked Shinigami to handle. At least there weren't any other Shinigami to witness their blunder this time, as far as they knew.

The flighty Shinigami's entire train of thought derailed itself as Hikari asked about how they had appeared before her; anything to not think about how embarrassed they were. "Well, it's just a simple technique that Shinigami use to quickly reposition or travel. We gather Reishi around our feet and use it to move at high speed for short bursts." Maharo prattled on, using hand gestures to help explain the basic concept of Shunpo. "It may seem like we're disappearing and reappearing somewhere else, but it's more like taking one, very swift, very long step. For instance, one cannot step through a solid wall, at least not without breaking the wall down." As they finished giving the human a lecture on a Shinigami technique, Maharo sounded quite pleased with themselves.

After a silent moment, Maharo brought the heel of their hand to their forehead, causing a clacking sound as it hit their mask. "Fool!" They admonished themselves in front of Hikari. "I am not supposed to be sharing information like that with non-Shinigami!" Once again, Maharo's love for explaining things to people had caught them off-guard, managing to share even more information with the same human that they had explained Shinigami patrols to.

The tall individual sagged, back and shoulders slouching as their arms hung low. "Please forget everything I said just now, okay?"

[Scarlet]

Maharo was definitely still a quiet Shinigami despite his massive size making Hikari believe that she was seeing a giant. It felt more comfortable right now though compared to when she’d first met him. This was only the second time they’d met one another, but Hikari had given it some thought and believed that he could be trusted. Dismissing the almost catastrophic accident that had happened Maharo was someone that came off as genuine especially after the last time they’d met one another. Normally the shinigami that she’d met were all serious or full of themselves while Maharo just gave off the aura of a goofy friend trying to do his best.

What took all of her attention though was when Maharo started to actually explain how he accomplished moving at such a high rate of speed. That’s when it clicked though that he was nervous and would likely answer anything she asked of him without thinking. Hikari really wanted to learn more about what the shinigami could do, hoping that maybe by doing so she’d be able to achieve the same. She knew that learning how to accelerate her speed would help her reach problems much faster, but taking advantage of someone like Maharo didn’t feel right either. It left a sour taste in her chest that didn’t feel right.

“Well I can’t forget it, it’s actually helpful to know stuff like that, but I promise I won’t tell anyone else. What are you doing in Karakura though Maharo? Are you out patrolling again? Realized roof tops are better vantage points than street lamps?” Hikari teased finding the whole thing quite fun in her own opinion. She’d met a few different Shinigami at this point, but was starting to wonder if Maharo was different. His personality being so much different than the others had her question whether or not he could handle a dark situation with a Hollow attacking.

[Date Maharo]

Maharo sighed as Hikari admitted she wasn't entirely capable of forgetting what they had said but promised not to tell another soul. That would likely be the best they were going to get in that regard. At the least they managed to straighten their back as she continued, asking what exactly they happened to be doing out here this time. They held the scanner up with one hand, gesturing to it with the other as they began to answer. "Well, you see, I am-"

They froze again before silently slipping the device back into an interior pocket of their shihakusho. "I am... simply completing a task given to me by a higher-up, the purpose of which I am not privy to." They were actually about to spill more information that they believed was not intended to be shared with others. They were just relieved that they caught themselves this time. "As you should know, I am a rather low-ranking member of my organization, and am rarely, if ever, told anything of actual importance." This was a half-truth, they were in fact low in rank, but still knew things that they figured they shouldn't share with outsiders.

Hikari was arguably right to question Maharo's combat capabilities. They had slain some lesser Hollow before and faced a relatively powerful one once, but only prevailed because they had the help of unlikely allies. Even then, it was less skill or strength that saw them through that battle and more just simple tenacity, a willingness to suffer injury and face death for the sake of finding an opening. It was unrefined and self-destructive, and something that Maharo was genuinely ashamed of. They were meant to be a noble swordsperson, not some barbarian using vulgar means to tear apart their foes. At least, that was their idea of what a Shinigami should be.

After giving Hikari their non-explanation, the tall Shinigami looked around themselves before looking back to Hikari with a slight, inquisitive tilt of their head. "I suppose I should also ask what you're doing out here, swinging your axe around on an empty rooftop like this. Training, perhaps?" They questioned.

[Scarlet]

Hikari watched as Maharo was about to give her more information, but when he caught himself in mid sentence all she could do was smile and laugh a little with a smile. “See you can do it, just try not to get so excited someone is asking.” From the previous interaction and this short bit so far Hikari had the feeling that Maharo didn’t get all that much interaction when it came to others so actually speaking to someone was quite different and exciting when they asked about the things that he did. She couldn’t exactly put herself in his shoes, but if she was right she understood how he could feel that way and would keep her promise to not just say nothing to anyone else, but to try and not ask him things that others could get him in trouble about. She had to handle the Hollows in Karakura and whether or not there were others like her such as Shimada or Amare there were also Shinigami.

Working together with as many people as possible was something beneficial, Hikari didn’t see any reason not to work with the Shinigami and befriend as many of them willing to look at her as an ally and not some sort of lesser being. Although it was a little annoying for Maharo to ignore her teasing she wasn’t going to press him on an answer. “Yup, I’ve got to get a better handle on my Fullbring so I’m less at risk when facing down most of the Hollows that come to Karakura.” Hikari had no problem telling Maharo about her Fullbring or showing him the large axe with its strange black stone shape.

“I managed to figure it out a little bit ago, but its shape and size are much different than what I’m used to using so I’ve been practicing with it a lot. I was told that eventually I’ll figure out more about it kinda like your zanpakuto, but I’m not sure how to figure that out yet.” Although she could easily tease Maharo about the size difference between them Hikari chose not to, knowing that he didn’t respond to her last fun gab. Maharo the giant using a standard katana while the thin girl used the massive battle axe, something Hikari found quite fun.

[Date Maharo]

The fact that Hikari had developed her Fullbring and knew what to call it suggested that she had been in contact, perhaps even training with other Fullbringers. Maharo knew that there were quite a few operating in the area, and was tempted to ask Hikari about where to find these people, but bit their tongue. What would they even do with such information? Report it to their higher-ups seemed like the natural course, but that could potentially put Hikari in harm's way. No, they had to loosen up, they weren't on any sort of mission to investigate the Fullbringers in the area, they had simply met one. Besides, asking an invasive question like that would likely ruin the limited rapport that they had with her.

Of course, just because they bit back some questions didn't mean that Maharo couldn't indulge in their curiosity surrounding Fullbrings. The tall Shinigami craned their neck down, taking a good look at the black stone axe that had nearly chopped them in half but a minute or so ago "Interesting. It seems like your Fullbring's initial form resembles that of multiple Shinigami's Shikai, at least in form." Maharo mused, finishing the thought in their head. If this was the case, does that mean that fledgling Fullbringers were already as powerful as Shinigami who had unlocked their Shikai? Maharo would be lying if they claimed that they weren't somewhat intimidated by that thought. Maharo wasn't very strong, but that didn't bother them all too much. Looking at the axe though, they wondered if maybe it should.

The towering Shinigami straightened their back, looking down at Hikari, rubbing the chin of their mask as though they were thinking. "I have to admit that I know precious little about the development of Fullbrings or how they compare to Zanpakuto." Maharo pulled their sword out from its place at their hip, keeping it sheathed. With a closer look at it, Hikari would likely notice that not only was it smaller than her axe, but it was even shorter than most Zanpakuto. It was a wakizashi, a type of short sword that samurai would carry in addition to a full-length katana. However, particularly short ones like Maharo's were often carried by commoners rather than samurai.

"I don't suppose it has begun speaking to you, has it?" Maharo asked seemingly out of nowhere. They were curious as to just how similar Fullbring weapons were to Zanpakuto.

[Scarlet]

Although Hikari was fairly certain about what Maharo said regarding her Fullbring, actually hearing it from a Shinigami felt different. What did it mean that her Fullbring took on a weapon form like that of a shinigami’s zanpakuto? Was there something behind that fact she didn’t know or was it meaningless? Hikari’s knowledge was very limited when it came to the spiritual specifics of basically everything. She hadn’t been spiritually aware for long and most of that time had been dealing with Hollows now. Nevertheless though it was her Fullbring and she accepted its form regardless of what it meant.

“I hadn’t really thought about that before, but you’re right. I’ve heard that you Shinigami are able to make your swords transform into other weapons after a while. I’m not really sure if my Fullbring is weird or not. I haven’t met anyone else with one.” Hikari had already taken a moment or two to look over his zanpakuto. The short blade was a little funny to see strapped on such a giant, but at the same time it didn’t matter either way. If she were stabbed by it then the damage wouldn’t suddenly be less just due to the difference of him being large.

What took her by surprise was his question though. Hikari couldn’t hide the very visible look of confusion as she began to look up and down her ax. “No, that would have definitely been out there enough I’d remember it. Would have me thinking someone is possessing it.” In the next moment though Hikari stopped looking at her Fullbring and her face shot up to look at Maraho’s red mask. “Wait, do your zanpakuto speak?” This was something that she would have never guessed, and it opened up so many questions that she could hardly even contain the obvious look across her face now.

[Date Maharo]

Maharo raised an eyebrow at Hikari's explanation that she had never actually met another Fullbringer before, unless they misunderstanding. That had some interesting implications. If she knew that her power was a Fullbring, she would likely have heard that name from someone with an understanding of the various spiritual factions operating in Karakura. A Quincy? Not likely, if she were allied with them, she would have been told about the perceived evil of the Gotei, and likely avoided or outright attacked Shinigami. A rogue Shinigami then? Possible, but still not likely, most Shinigami who go rogue are either quite powerful or are swiftly stopped by the Gotei. Plus, she would likely have heard out whatever grievances that caused the Shinigami to abandon the Gotei and therefore hesitate to have a conversation with Maharo. Maybe it was just another Shinigami who told her. They had to imagine it wasn't uncommon for the spiritually aware of Karakura to meet a few different Shinigami. Perhaps even, it was Maharo themselves that had told her of Fullbrings?

As Maharo searched their memory for ever explaining a Fullbring to Hikari, the thought that she may have heard from another Fullbringer who had simply not shown her their Fullbring slipped from their mind.

The tall Shinigami only realized she had asked a question after an awkward moment of silence between the two of them. "Ah- Well yes! Er, no. Uh, not mine. Yet." Maharo brought their hand up to their mask's mouth as they cleared their throat and gathered their thoughts properly this time.

"Yes. Zanpakuto can speak to their wielder. You could say it's possessed by someone, but said someone is manifested from the wielder themselves. Each Shinigami receives an Asauchi, a blank sword if you will, and over time, they leave a spiritual imprint onto it that can change its physical form, as well as develop a spirit within the Zanpakuto." Maharo held their own Zanpakuto as an example, slowly pulling it out of its sheath. It was quite different from the Zanpakuto of most Shinigami, lacking a guard and bearing a wooden grip that matched the sheath itself, on top of its notable shortness. "My own Zanpakuto was once a blank and took the form of a simple katana. I don't know why it's taken the form it has now when my spars proved that I excel in the use of longer swords, but I'm sure there is a reason." Maharo shrugged, memories of their violent past little more than a distant buzzing in the back of their head. A buzzing that they would ignore if it were even noticed at all.

"Shinigami can meditate to speak with their Zanpakuto spirits, but only when they are able to delve into their inner world and earn the respect of the spirit within can they learn the name of their Zanpakuto. The name is what allows the Shinigami to call upon the powers of their Zanpakuto. That is Shikai, which are often very unique from one another, but most often changes the shape of the weapon and grants the Shinigami unique abilities through that form." Maharo sheathed their weapon and gestured to Hikari's own. "Thus, my observation regarding your Fullbring."

"Don't expect much more insight than that; I have yet to learn the name of my Zanpakuto, nor have I heard its voice. The most I have gotten has been vague senses of emotion from it." Frustration and animosity were amongst the most common emotions Maharo would get, but they chose not to divulge that particular piece of personal information. "Most who have access to their Shikai are within the top ten positions of any given squad, and I am an unseated officer, so it is unlikely I will ever actually develop my Zanpakuto beyond this point, truth be told."

[Scarlet]

Everything that Hikari had just been told seemed insane, so incredibly unbelievable that her mind struggled to believe the words leaving Maharo despite holding onto a large battle axe that she formed from her earrings. Her Fullbring was just as incredibly unbelievable, but it wasn’t an extension of herself; it couldn't speak to her . . . that she knew of. Imprinting your soul onto something like a sword in order to form some other spirit. Something like that didn’t make any sense or at least was so outlandish that it made Hollows in Hikari’s eyes seem bland. Something she wouldn’t have ever believed possible yet here she stood staring at Maraho’s zanpakuto as if it were made from meteorite and encased in gold.

Hikari really didn’t have much knowledge at all pretending to anything whether it be the human world or the spiritual ones, but the fact she was being told that every shinigami’s sword possessed it’s own soul, it’s own personality. The only thing she could compare it to was perhaps like a robot from one of the movies. Mind boggling was the only way that Hikari could describe how she was feeling at the moment and Maharo would more than likely be able to tell that what he’d just told her was sending her mind through a loop. He may be wearing a mask to conceal his face, she was not and this wore her amazement, disbelief and awe all over her face.

“That’s so crazy. It’s unbelievable yet I know you wouldn’t lie to me. The spiritual worlds just continue to leave me . . . I don’t even know just blank. I can’t even think about how insane something like that is. I don’t expect my Fullbring to be anything like that. I’m happy with it being something like this though. I just know there’s more to it that I’ll find at some point. Perhaps I can help you out though. I doubt I can help you connect or bond or however you’d like to say it, but I can help you practice.”

Hikari didn’t mind Maraho; he was one of the nicer Shinigami that she’d met since awakening her powers. Although Shimada had warned her about dealing with Shinigami there had only been one of them that had treated her badly. One of them left a bad taste in her mouth. One of them that she wouldn’t mind punching in the face, knocking their teeth down their throat. One of them that Hikari wouldn’t have to even think about attacking if she had the chance after what they did as a sign of disrespect and what had been said to her. Maraho though was the opposite, a gentle giant who she believed she could call a fun friend in the future.

Her mind snapped back to what Maraho had told her right after he’d shown up on the roof. How he’d explained to her the method of enhanced movement. Although she was still holding her Fullbring in her right hand the head of the axe positioned upward standing taller than her. Hikari focuses her reiatsu towards her feet. She’d seen more than a few times now others enhance themselves in terms of speed and yet didn’t believe that something as simple as this could accomplish that. She feels the need to figure it out to catch the Hollows quicker.

[Date Maharo]

There was a stretch of silence after Maharo had finished their explanation, during which Hikari seemed to just stare at them in bewilderment. The shinigami tilted their head, confused by her reaction. Had they said something wrong? Had they just zoned out and spoken complete gibberish that whole time? Was there some kind of World of the Living taboo that they didn't know about and just committed?

Thankfully for everyone involved, before Maharo could spiral into a panic attack, Hikari spoke up, expressing her amazement at everything that they had just told her. They hadn't really considered that everything they mentioned may have been pretty weird to someone who's never been to the Soul Society before. "Oh. Yes, I suppose it may have been a bit much to take in, now that I think of it. It's probably simpler than it sounds, honestly. I've been told that I can be somewhat over-talkative on some subjects." Maharo had a hard time shutting up about things that they were excited about, and they personally found zanpakuto quite interesting.

Maharo's head tilted again in the opposite direction as Hikari claimed that she could help them. They nearly asked, "Practice what?" before coming to the obvious conclusion. They had just mentioned their experience in sparring, perhaps she just wanted to see what they could really do. Besides, they hadn't actually sparred with anyone in a while. Probably because they found it very difficult to ask people to spar with them rather than just having a teacher pair other students with them. Plus, this would also be an entirely new experience, sparring with someone other than a fellow shinigami. Could be useful in the future.

"I suppose I could make some time for a round of sparring or two. It may not help me bond, or- I would say build rapport is a more accurate wording, but it has been observed in some shinigami that their zanpakuto only began to speak with them once they were deemed strong enough by the spirit within." Maharo continued speaking as they stepped away from Hikari until they were about half the roof's length away from each other. "Even if this doesn't really help me in that regard, I could use a work-out. Plus I imagine it would also be mutually beneficial for you, would it not? In fact, as we both seem ignorant of the entire nature of your Fullbring, this could help shed light on that." Once Maharo was in place, they took a wide, rigid stance. They slipped their sheathed weapon into its place at their hip, one hand holding the hilt-end of the sheath while the other hand hovered near the hilt itself, prepared to draw at a moment's notice.

"You may take the first move." They spoke calmly, politely, the propriety that they had been taught to show an opponent in a spar. The fact that they hadn't drawn may have seemed like they were goading her, but in reality, they just thought that they looked cool when they drew their blade at the last moment.

[Scarlet]

Sparring with Maharo was a good opportunity, something that Hikari easily could see as a benefit to both of them which Maharo was in agreement with yet once he started to move across the building roof for them to begin Hikari realized an issue. How was she supposed to spar with someone else using her Fullbring, it was a large battle axe. How could she really try her best without hurting anyone else severely. It wasn’t like using her body in Karate nor a wooden sword in kendo. She hadn’t thought that far ahead and now wasn’t sure what kind of methods she could do without risking Maharo. At the same time though part of her felt like she was being disrespectful of Maharo, he being a shinigami must already know everything that she was thinking and be ok with it.

If she didn’t go at him with everything then she was looking down on him. She’d seen Maharo along with other Shinigami, some of which helped her against some of the Hollows. If she went easy on him, was she not just disrespecting him, but all Shinigami? So much splashing around inside of her mind that Hikari was struggling to come up with a solution to a problem that seemed to only plague her. Snapping back to reality once she heard Maharo speak once again she could see him in his own fighting stance, one that she wouldn’t take herself and yet she couldn’t question it now. His height was far too different from her own, perhaps he was right in the stance that he took.

"Thank you for this chance Maharo."

Inhaling with a long deep breath Hikari pushed aside her doubts for the time and focused on the sensation of holding her Fullbring. The large weapon was immense by comparison to her own body yet it felt hardly heavier than a feather in her hands. Bringing it across her torso she shifts its hold from her right hand to the left being brought down the shaft towards the bottom. Her right hand towards the top she’d do her best in that first step to accomplish what Maharo had said. Although unsuccessful Hikari felt different, she hadn’t gained any speed and yet it wasn’t a fruitless attempt either. She knew now that his advice was something to follow up on. Rushing in, Hikari waits until she's about seven feet from Maharo and then spins on her heels rotating her body counterclockwise while swinging her Fullbring in order for the head to rush at Maharo from his left side.

[Date Maharo]

Maharo really wasn't too confident in their own abilities. They liked to think that they knew their place, and that they were happy in it. Still, they were expecting to have an edge over Hikari considering they had been training for a multiple of her lifetimes. Yet, the speed at which she closed the distance caught Maharo off-guard. They realized the foolishness of their assumption; if Shinigami were so much more long-lived than Quincies and Fullbringers, yet these groups were considered a threat, experience must not be very important in estimating strength.

The tall Shinigami back-stepped at the last moment, simultaneously raising their right hand away from their blade's hilt. If they hadn't moved their hand, their arm would likely have been chopped off at the elbow. In the rush of adrenaline after that close shave, Maharo's mind raced. Should Maharo ask her to ease up? No, they weren't confident, but they still had their pride as a Shinigami. They had to fight this out and hope that they could keep up with Hikari. Should be easier now that they had a better idea of her strength. They wouldn't be caught off-guard again.

Her swing was well-controlled, Maharo still could take advantage of her recovery from the missed swing, but less than Maharo had hoped for, what with her using such a large weapon. If they had just drawn their zanpakuto in the first place, they wouldn't be so pressed for time.

Maharo took a hold of their wakizashi as they closed the gap this time. In one swift motion, they pulled their blade from its scabbard and retaliated with an upward-diagonal slash, aiming to cut Hikari from her right hip to her left shoulder. Even if they missed, at least they had their weapon drawn now.

[Scarlet]

Rushing in on Maharo and advancing with a most basic swing was something that Hikari expected to be countered although the manner in which Maharo moved was surprising. His size made her believe that he’d possess strength far above her own, made her believe that despite the size of his zanpakuto he would be an immovable mountain of a foe. Even if he was playing the role of the valiant samurai capable of drawing his weapon, attacking and sheathing it again within a blink. What happened though went against everything that she expected.

Watching her Fullbring pass through the air in front of Maharo, to see the giant of a man step backwards and take his hand off his zanpakuto. Hikari didn’t know what to feel between insult and shock. Could he look so far down on her that fighting her like a child was possible? This wasn’t a fight tk the death nor even one of serious importance yet her confidence and success in battle made her feel as if such treatment wasn’t right. His hand reached back down to his zanpakuto told Hikari though that she had to move now!

Maharo had backed away from the threat, Hikari despite the size difference between them took his attack head on. Both of her hands were on her ax’s shaft with her right hand further towards the head, not the best position yet one she could work with. Letting her left hand go and pulling the shaft with her right while shifting the angle of her hand. In a single fluid motion she turned the shaft of her ax into a pole that Maharo’s zanpakuto would clash against. Pushing down only a short distance down and across her entire front, a wall that while ineffective against most could hold off something like a dagger or sword.

Hikari couldn’t use her Fullbring with the position though, but Maharo, likely due to his size, would have a harder time moving it unless he withdrew again. Something Hikari wasn’t going to let him do easily. She’d fought against Hollows much larger than herself, not really all that uncommon considering her size. Shifting her left foot backwards would give her a more solid balance while her left hand is thrusted forward a single straight punch meant to strike Maharo in his solar plexus. Despite his size and Hikari’s physical strength it should be enough to knock him back or knock the air from his body. Either way Hikari was hoping he’d take her more seriously now.