Battlefield Romance: Hakuōki x Reader

First Day of Training: Shinpachi Nagakura

Scenario: It's your first day of training, and the one who found you is the one responsible for your instruction. What will it be like to train with him as your mentor?

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You watch as Shinpachi cracks his knuckles in preparation for the day, and you cringe at the popping sound that his joints make. He flexes his biceps a few times, then loosens the joints in his neck and upper shoulders.

"Are you done yet?" You ask dryly as he continues his "warm up."

"H**l yeah!" He exclaims, grabbing his sword. "Let's do this!"

You stand in front of each other: both of you are poised and ready to spring into action at any moment. With a nod from Shinpachi, you lunge at each other and your blades make a clanging noise as they make contact.

"Work on being aware of details" he instructs as you fight. You swing your katana towards his leg, and he blocks it seconds before it slices through the skin.

"I'll do my best" you say, smiling as you duck to avoid his blow.

"You're pretty strong, so that's good."

"Is that a compliment?" Your swords once again block each other, causing the two of you to come face-to-face.

He nods. "You better believe it. It's not worth my time to duel against someone who's weak."

You smirk at his arrogant comment. "Same goes for you!"

Around ten minutes later, Shinpachi calls a truce and the two of you sit down on the grass beneath a tree.

"So, I noticed that you hold your breath when you're fighting" he comments as he leans his back against the tree trunk. You look at him, confused.

"I do?"

"Yeah."

"I wasn't aware of that..."

"It's probably because you get so into your fighting that you don't notice it."

"Really?"

He nods gravely. "Yeah. Don't let the fight take up all of your attention. If you become too focused on one opponent, you'll fail to see the others coming at'cha."

Your eyes light up in understanding. "Ooohhh! Gotcha."

"See? In no time, you'll be out on patrol with the rest of us!"

You playfully shove him in the shoulder. "Get outta here."

"It's the truth!" He looks at you in earnest, and you're slightly startled at how sincere he appears.

"Oookay then... " You look away, smiling sheepishly. "That's really nice of you to say." It's his turn to look sheepish.

"Well," he says quickly, looking at you and grinning. "Wanna go at it again?"