Chapter 8: Survival 101. Time to Improvise.
Three months had passed since Class D was dropped into the wildness. Time the class spent working their way back towards where they believed the Soul Society to be. Through hard work and sheer determination the class had worked their way up a tall mountain in which they used to look to find the Soul society. Which proved useless as in all directions was just more forest.
Rellik and Jason had spent the past 3 months trying to figure out what could have happened to their smoke grenade. Knowing only themselves and their instructor, Captain Frederick Downs, had access to their bag, they count figure out what could have happened. Captain Downs may have been a sadistic trainer and a borderline psychopath, but he had proved multiple times that he would never just let his class die.
"It had to be another class." Said Jason as the group settled in for the night. "Class B maybe. Get back at us for showing them up during that battle exercise?"
"No." Alexis said as she rubbed her sore feet. "They never came near the bag I remember. They were to busy working out their survival strategy. They didn't even look over at us. I'm guessing Class C. They've had a thing out for us since Rellik and that one guy in their class got into a fight, in which Rellik dislocated his shoulder and tore his tendons in his right foot, remember?"
Rellik laughed silently remembering that fight. It happened during the first exercise of leadership. The guy had just jumped up saying he was going to be the leader. Rellik said that they should all decide amongst themselves who should take charge of the mission. When the guy called Rellik a "green bow wearing pussy" and shoved him, Rellik went berserk. He had actually slammed the boy into the wall, which had been the cause of the dislocated shoulder. The tendon tearing happened after Rellik had been pulled off by both Blast and Jason, and the other boy screamed out that he was lucky the two were dragging him away and that he would show Rellik's sister a "good time". Blast almost rushed the kid at that statement but Rellik had beat him to it sliding low to the ground grasping the boys foot and torque it so hard from side to side and left to right that he felt not only the tendons snap but the bone almost give way. Had Alexis not pulled Rellik away and held him in the corner Rellik swore he would have caused permanent damage the young man's foot. Instead he had just spent four months in the infirmary as Rellik was simply grilled by his instructor.
Rellik looked over at Alexis who was staring back at him with soft eyes also remembering that day. No one other then the two of them knew of the moment they had shared. Rellik's face nestled against her neck, she soothing him by running her hand down the side of his hair. She gave a small shudder when she remembered what happened after he looked up at her. It was with in that moment they had shared their first kiss each. Both swearing that they would keep it to themselves. Though Alexis often thought of the moment. Convincing herself it was more then a just a moment of vulnerability for him that he wanted it as badly as she did.
"No I don't think it was Class C." Said Joesph breaking Alexis and Rellik out of their stances. "They aren't smart enough to come up with such a devious plan."
"Well the other option is.." Jason was about to say it but a shot from Rellik shut him cold.
"It wasn't them." Rellik said coldly then focused on the fire again throwing small twigs onto it roughly. "They wouldn't do that us. They wouldn't do that to me!"
"Rellik they had the opportunity." Joesph said. "I mean I hate to admit a moment of weakness but as me, Jason, Blast, and Jen were mocking you Mac could have slipped it past Alexis."
"He's right Rellik." Alexis said as Rellik started to glow an angry red. "Mac had me..." She couldn't continue the sentence as Rellik was staring at her with angry yet sad eyes.
"Look it doesn't really matter who took it." Jason said patting Rellik on the back. "All that matters is that we've got three months to go. After that we're figure something out right?"
The others just nodded their head then went their own ways to sleep. Knowing in three months they couldn't put off the inedible.
Rellik sat high up in a tree waiting for the bird to fly back around to its nest underneath. It had been seven months since the start of the exam. As Joesph was busy working out different signal fires all differing in colors the rest of the team kept busy trying to survive. Having already exhausted a majority of their brought resources and with winter quickly approaching the team fought day and night to find as much as they could to gather just incase they were stranded out here any longer.
Rellik found his opening and swooped down upon the unsuspecting bird as it had returned to its nest slashing off its head with his sword. He defeathered the bird there in the tree knowing once he brought it down the ground he would have a harder time concentrating with the other predators around. The week prior the team had to fight off many familiar hollows to save their camp site and their food supply.
Rellik added this bird to the other birds he had tied to his waist. He stood up looking for the eggs in the nest knowing that they couldn't live off the birds alone. He gathered up the eggs and started his way back to camp flash stepping from tree branch to tree branch.
At the camp sight Alexis was busy separating the poisonous berries from the nutrial and the medical berries she had gathered. Mac was keeping watch over the camp sight from high in the trees and Joesph was busy puffing up a reddish smoke into the air hoping this was the signal that they needed.
"I really hope this is the right color Joe." Alexis said looking at her bangs as they had longed since returned back to their original black color.
"If its because of your hair I would suggest that your priorities are extremely off." Replied Joesph not taking his eyes off the fire puffing the smoke to make it go higher. "I hope this is too though Alexis. I miss home."
Jason hoped down from the tree looking up at the smoke as it worked its way higher into the sky. "Well if its not this then we'll try again." He said reassuring his fellow classmates.
Rellik dropped down from the trees landing a slight walk from the away from the camp site. As he slowly approached the small landing they've set up their camp in, he over heard something that stung deep into his heart.
"I know Rellik wont admit it but Class A are the only ones who could have taken our grenade." Jason said sitting cross legged by the fire. "We all know its true. And when time comes when we get back I'm filing a formal complaint against all three of them."
"Now hold on." Said Alexis. "Rellik is right maybe we just forgot it. And even if it was Class A it may not have been all three of them. Just one working on their own agenda."
Jason just snorted at that remark. "Don't be naive Alexis. None of them, especially Blast, are smart enough to come up with a plan like this all on their own."
"Maybe we're over thinking the entire situation." Threw in Joesph as he fanned the smoke higher. "Maybe our peculiar situation is apart of the test. Maybe all of the class' smoke grenades were taken."
"Hm." Said Jason staring into the fire. "That could be it. But why then put the grenade in the bag to begin with."
"To do exactly what we're doing now." Said Rellik from the trees throwing the birds in Jason's direction. "To try and drive a wedge between the classes and think the worse. But we're not going to fall for it." He continued looking Jason in his eyes who returned his gaze. "We're going to pass this test and we're all going to become soul reapers. No matter what those prick instructors put us through."
As the group began to get behind Rellik a sound broke its way through the trees. The four young people stood and drew their swords quickly. They've learned that the only things that came near their camp ground while there was smoke in the air were hollows. And by sound from the rustling tree branches and snapping of sticks and twigs on the ground, this was a big one.
They all stood back to back with the fire between them. Each keeping an eye on the forest while also on their team member next to them. They stood like this for a long while as the snaps changed and started coming from a different direction. Either this was a fast hollow or it wasn't alone. Finally something caught Rellik's eye. It was slight but he noticed reishi near the edge of the camp ground being drawn into towards a dark figure in the woods.
The figure didn't look like any hollow he had seen. In fact it stood up as a person would. The figure raised its hand and before he could react blue flames shot towards the team and surrounded them. Rellik was at a lost as he saw the dark figure crouch down then run forward coming to the edge of the flame before jumping high into the air pulling out a sword from its side.
Rellik just stared up at the figure pulling his own sword up to block the attack that was heading his way. Visions of the past flooded his eyes as he prepared for the worse. He saw the day he held his sister under the debris of their fallen shack hiding her eyes of the sight of their torn apart parents. The day he first saw Captain Downs when he informed BlackValley of the supply cuts. He saw Mayuri Kurotsuchi slash his eye and Kisuke Urahara tell him of his sister's abduction and his new power that was in his left eye. The last vision that ran through his head was his first kiss he had shared with his teammate Alexis. Her soft skin he held in his hands. The tenderness of her lips pressed against his own. Rellik didn't know why but at that moment he had completely forgotten about his mission to find his sister he just knew that he never wanted it to end.
The sound of strong winds snapped Rellik out of his trance as the blue flames were blown away. The figure that attacked them, he could see was running towards the tree line, in its place stood three frog head hollows each with a small group of familiars by their sides. The winds came from a white komodo wearing man who had appeared in front of him. In his hand he held his zanpaku-to.
"Surround, Vayu." Captain Downs said holding his zanpaku-to off to his side. His sword vanished as though blown away like dirt in the wind. It surround Captain Downs who tightened his arm bands before rushing the hollows. Within just a few seconds all of the familiars were gone. Downs had moved so fast that none of the class could even follow his movements. He slowed down just enough to strike each Frog Head in the chest with powerful jabs before landing on the other side of them. He held up the fist that he used to jab the hollows who were starting to rush the captain. "Vayushika" Downs said opening his fist. The hollows stopped cold in their tracks before they looked as though they were being twisted around like rolled up newspapers.
The class just looked on as the hollows each exploded from the pressure of being twisted. Downs walked towards them his sword returning to his hand and him sheathing it.
"Are you four ok?" He asked his face showing concern for the first time since they've known him. The four just looked to Captain Downs then to each other back to Downs.
On the way back to the Seiritei it was explained that all the teams smoke canisters were taken from right under their noses. And the only suspect they had was the same figure that had attacked Class D in the forest. Apparently the other Classes had stayed the minimum 6 months before doing the same thing that Class D had done. It only took them longer to find Class D because they had wandered further from their original position then the other classes had.
Rellik just stared at Jason who was staring back at him with sorrowful eyes. He knew deep down that Jason was just trying to figure out what had happened but he couldn't forgive him for his accusations against his friends. Not yet anyways. As soon as they returned home Rellik went to his bed and laid there ignoring the other three as they sat and relaxed having a roof over his their head for first time in seven months.
