（ he never watched captain unohana fight. but learning that she was the first kenpachi, and having seen how she moved on the battlefield in other ways... he can guess how she used a sword once upon a time. a master of eight thousand styles of kenjutsu, he finds himself wishing he could've learned from her before —

well. before.

but sasuke makes him feel inadequate, for the first time in a long time. not in a way that invites shame or self-recrimination, but in a way that makes him want to get better. maybe they can make this a regular thing. or — well, it probably depends on how this conversation goes.

he doesn't bother rising, instead just shifting his posture until he's sitting cross-legged, inviting sasuke to the mat in the same approximate fashion. ）

What you said... （ he begins, a bit clumsily. his eyes flicker to sasuke's face, and then he looks away. the training sword is laid across his knees, and he moves it just a little almost as a way to occupy his hands, or forestall an immediate answer. ） I didn't mean to make you — I wasn't trying to be a dick about it. One of my friends back home is... she likes women, so. It's not weird to me.

（ ichigo 'one of my friends is a lesbian' kurosaki, ladies and gents. ）