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Training is hard. Training with Kaien is even harder. Especially in the middle of Summer.
They're in a clearing behind the Shiba family compound and his cousin is always a ruthless taskmaster, but Ichigo Shiba has many fond memories of their times together in this training field.
Ichigo looks up to Kaien in many ways, like a big brother he wouldn’t otherwise have (though Ichigo'd never admit it to his cousin's face) and Kaien always endeavored to get at least one-hour's training whenever he got the day off. Its something of a ritual for them.
Now Ichigo's old enough to be attending Shin'ou Academy and most of his time is spent away studying, their training sessions together is even fewer and farther between but they still make time where they can. He can probably credit these solo lessons and his own natural affinity for Shinigami craft as the reason why Ichigo's qualified for all the advanced classes, except for Kido (we don't talk about the Kido).
Unfortunately, as much as Ichigo is looking forward to having an honest spar, his mind's anywhere but the training field. Something made abundantly clear when his cousin disarms him completely and gives him a light bonk on the head with the hilt of his Zanpakutou.
"Ow! You don't need to whack me on the head!" Ichigo complains, rubbing his crown.
"That's the twelfth time in twenty minutes I've knocked you flat on your ass. You holdin' out on me, Ichigo? Because if I didn't know better I'd say you're a million miles away." Kaien teases.
Ichigo shoots him an irritated look before silently moving to retrieve his fallen still-nameless Asauchi. He senses a faint static-y presence from the sword, perhaps the burgeoning spark of his Zanpakutou spirit...? Or maybe he's just imagining it.
"To which I must ask, what's got you so distracted, baby cousin?" Kaien prods in his usual good-natured way.
"Nothing." Ichigo says gruffly, unconvincingly.
Kaien leans forward, lips curling in a faintly amused smile while giving his cousin a sidelong look for a long minute, "It's a girl, isn't it?"
Red heat flushes over Ichigo's cheeks, "How did you-?!"
Ichigo's eyes slide closed and he let out a muttered curse at taking the obvious bait. Damn it. Now Kaien's gonna have a field day with this, gossiping like a fishwife.
"Call it experience." Kaien stands tall with supremely smug satisfaction, "Alright. Spill it. I demand all the juicy details."
"Its not like that!" Ichigo complains, willing his cheeks to stop burning. "Its just... she's interesting. That's all."
And maybe a little cute, but Ichigo doesn't say that part out loud. Soul King only knows how obnoxiously his cousin would react to that .
"And you wanna get to know her better but you have no idea how to actually talk to her? So now you come to your favourite big brother for advice. I'm so touched I could cry." Kaien hooks an arm around Ichigo's neck and pulls him in for a semi-hug that Ichigo only half-heartedly attempts to resist.
"Get off me, you ape." Ichigo grunts, "Its nothing like that! And I didn't 'come to you' for anything either!"
"Aw. No need to be so shy, its perfectly natural to wanna talk to cute girls in your class." Kaien reaches over to ruffle his hair, Ichigo grumbles and resigns himself to the torment.
"You're the worst." Ichigo huffs.
"You know I only do it because you react like this," Kaien reminds him gently.
Ichigo pouts, "You'd do it regardless if I reacted or not."
"True enough." Kaien releases his grip and flicks Ichigo's forehead, which Ichigo complains about but Kaien ignores him, beckoning him to sit on the engawa lining the small training ground. "So what makes this girl so 'interesting'?"
Ichigo plops himself down on the engawa, taking a proffered ceramic cup of water and drinking deep. Mostly to buy himself time to think.
"I don't know... just a kind of air she has about her I guess." Ichigo offers noncommittally.
"Hmm." Kaien mumbles, taking a cup of water for himself.
Ichigo continues, picking at the silk wrap of his Asuachi. "She's from Rukongai, Inuzuri. Tiny thing. Shy and meek around everyone else, but she's tough as nails and real sassy to that porcupine friend of hers. I think being a commoner among nobles makes her shrink into herself. Like she's trying not to offend or get noticed."
Kaien grins, "I like sassy. But sounds like she needs help building her confidence, get out of that shell of hers. Nothing wrong with growing up in Rukongai either, but its pretty easy to guess she's nervous around all the snooty nobles strutting around with sticks up their asses."
Ichigo raises an amused eyebrow, "Don't we fall under the category of 'snooty nobles'?"
Kaien dismisses it breezily with a wave of his hand, "We're not exempt from the label where applicable. But lets face it; we're not Kuchikis or Tsunayashiros. Soul King help us all if we end up like that." He shudders for dramatic effect and Ichigo cackles.
"True enough."
They descend into silence and Kaien leans his chin on his palm, clicking his tongue while he thinks. "Shot in the dark; how good's her Kido?"
Ichigo sends him a look, "What's that got to do with anything?"
"Idle curiosity. How good is she?"
"Best in the class. She'd be in the advanced class if her other grades weren't dragging her down." Ichigo answers with a shrug, and Kaien's lips split in a slow grin.
"And that is exactly what I wanted to hear. Okay. This is what you're gonna do: Her Kido's good, right? And yours is absolutely shit. Approach her and ask for advice." Kaien tells him earnestly, "And if you're concerned about the optics, make it a transactional thing. Is there anything she's struggling with that you can help her out on?"
"Her swordsmanship sucks worse than my kido." Ichigo offers with another shrug.
"Even better; you can make it a trade. Offer her help with Zanjutsu in exchange for help with your Kido. Sure, it's primarily academy stuff but it gets you both on speaking terms. And that's your way in." Kaien explains, "Then after that, you get used to spending time together and you can both start getting to know each other. And you can become friends from there."
Ichigo ponders it well enough, nodding slowly then a treacherous little doubt pushes it's way to the surface, "And if she says no?"
"Then that sucks, but at least you'll have your answer." Kaien replies breezily.
"Hmm. I guess." Ichigo rubs the back of his neck in thought, its easy enough advice to follow. Kind of obvious too now that he thought on it, but he'd twisted himself up in so many knots for the last few days, he'd missed the blindingly obvious solution. Eventually, he give a firm nod.
"Okay. I'll... I'll ask tomorrow when I go back to the Academy."
"Attaboy!" Kaien claps a hand on his shoulder with a proud grin that nearly knocks Ichigo off the engawa.
Ichigo sighs, "Just do me a favour and don't... tell my mum and dad, okay? Last thing I need is the old man going crazy about something this stupid."
"Its not stupid. Its perfectly normal." Kaien reassures, but when Ichigo raises a pointed eyebrow, he concedes with a gesture of zipping his lip. "But you'll at least let me know how things go, right?"
Ichigo nods once, confident. "Yeah, I will. Thanks Kaien."
Kaien returns a beaming grin. "Any time, Ichigo."