Circle of Friends

The Hollow howled at Tamotsu as he cracked his whip, sending a shock wave which knocked the Hollow backward. Turning to its side, the Hollow whipped its tail in the same manner, causing Tamotsu to dodge. This will be interesting, Tamotsu thought.

"Hado 4: Byakurai!" Tamotsu said. A stream of blue lightning erupted from Tamotsu's finger. It struck the Hollow squarely and knocked it backward. Trees were knocked down as the Hollow landed, shakily finding its footing. "Boy, you're a tough one." The Hollow leapt forward with clawed hands extended. Tamotsu dodged by falling backward.

"Hado 31: Shakkaho!" Tamotsu raised his hand upward and a red ball of energy erupted from his palm. The impact sent the Hollow upward. "Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring. Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle! Hado 63: Raikoho!" A brilliant burst of yellow electricity erupted from Tamotsu's palm. The Hollow was struck directly and an explosion erupted. Wind and debris flew past Tamotsu as he lay on the ground. Did he get it?

A red beam of light split through the smoke and was aimed at Tamotsu. "Aw, crap…" he said. The Hollow's Cero would have done him in if not for Tamotsu's quick reflex with erecting Danku barriers, which he had found works quite well against most Cero attacks. Rolling out of the way, Tamotsu cleared himself of the Hollow's path as it landed. Facing him on all fours, the Hollow howled once again. "You've gotta be kidding! What's it gonna take to bring you down?"

Finding his footing, Tamotsu stood up assumed a fighting stance. "Let's go, Hinohebi! I'm gonna need some help with this one." The whip began to glow red and then burst into flames. "I'm going to try something, don't get too mad at me."

Throwing the momentum forward, Tamotsu unleashed the whip and made it wrap around the Hollow's neck. The fire burned bright and the Hollow howled and grabbed at the whip. "Hado 11: Tsuzuri Raiden!"

Yellow electricity ran through the whip and added to the damaging effect of the fire. Pulling backward with all his strength, the whip cut through the Hollow. With a final howl, the Hollow disintegrated. Tamotsu collapsed to the ground and fell backward. That one was tough, he thought. A shadow fell across Tamotsu's face. He looked up to find it was Hinohebi, once again having manifest herself physically. Her red hair stood on end with loose strands standing straight up, a ripple of electricity moving like a Jacob's Ladder through several of the strands. With an angry growl, she kicked Tamotsu in the ribs.

"What'd you have to do that for?" Hinohebi yelled at him. "Do you know how long it's going to take to get my hair back the way it was?"

"Sorry," Tamotsu said, getting to his knees. "I never realized you were so self-conscious. What's the big deal, anyway? Can't you just dematerialize and it'll go back to the way it was?"

Hinohebi glared at Tamotsu, fire in her eyes as he realized his mistake. The resulting scream could be heard a mile away. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I won't do that to you again!"

"You won't do what again?" Hinohebi asked, holding Tamotsu by the wrist.

"I won't send electricity through you again!"

"And?"

"And… I won't comment on your looks." Hinohebi tightened her grip. "Unless they're positive comments!"

"Good." Hinohebi let go and began to brush her hair down with her hands. "Now, as long as I'm out maybe we could go do something fun for a change."

"Yeah, one problem though. You've got to have a physical body to do anything here and I am not letting you have mine." Tamotsu stood up, flexing his now swollen and slightly burned wrist. "We'll have to make a run to Urahara's shop. Where'd Pupples go anyway?"

Within five minutes, Hinohebi and Tamotsu found Pupples sitting at an outdoor coffee shop speaking with a young woman.

"Well obviously there's more to life than mere day to day obligations," Pupples was saying. "But we must also live our lives to their fullest. I myself am unable to browse the simple pleasures of outdoor life all that often."

"I know the feeling," the woman was saying. "I usually get stuck in the office and after that I have to go straight home and care for the kids. Life isn't easy for a single working mother."

Tamotsu approached until he knew he was in Pupples' full view.

"I'm sorry, but I must be going," Pupples said. "It was a pleasure to meet your acquaintance." Giving her hand a gentle shake, Pupples stood and exited the plaza.

"We should talk again sometime," the woman called out to him.

Once he was out of earshot, Pupples turned to Tamotsu as they continued walking. "I say, you do have a habit of being quite annoying at times Master. Just when I was beginning to enjoy myself. Surely there must be some way for me to enjoy the outside world more often, and not when you run off on your duties."

"I'll think of something," Tamotsu said as he stepped into his body. With the flash of light, Tamotsu spit out the green pill that contained the Pupples artificial soul. Rounding a corner, Tamotsu and Hinohebi practically ran face-first into Rangiku. "Rangiku! Where've you been? I get a Hollow call that's quite difficult to deal with and you're hanging out at the mall?"

"I was at work," Rangiku responded. "Besides, I figured you could deal with one simple Hollow."

"Simple Hollow? That thing withstood a level sixty Hado spell! Wait. You've got a job?"

"Sure do. I told you I was offered a job as a model. My first shoot was today. They said I'll be on the cover of their next calendar. See?" Rangiku pulled out a poloroid and showed it to Tamotsu and Hinohebi. Tamotsu's face flushed bright red.

"A swimsuit calendar? Are you serious?"

"Oh, come on. I've heard it's hard enough for a woman to get a job these days. You should be lucky I got one so quickly. Since I'll be living here for a while I might as well make the best of it."

"Sure, whatever. Hey, we're going to be heading over to Urahara's shop for a couple things and I was wondering. Is there any way to keep an artificial soul occupied so it's not in this dispenser all the time? Pupples seems to be getting upset about the lack of free time I'm giving him."

Rangiku put her finger across her chin. "You know, Ichigo discovered that artificial souls can be placed in just about anything. He put his mod soul into a stuffed lion. Urahara's keeping three mod souls in stuffed animals at his shop."

"Ichigo? Who's that?"

"Oh, that's right. You haven't met yet. He's a Substitute Shinigami. Just got his powers back not too long ago."

"Wait a minute. There's Substitute Shinigami now? Mod souls in stuffed animals? What else have I missed out on?"

"I'll have you filled in next time you go to Soul Society. And about Pupples, I saw a toy store with a sale on stuffed animals. Maybe we could grab something there."

"Whatever you say."

Rounding a corner, the toy store had a banner displaying a sign for up to 75% off select merchandise. It had been several years since Tamotsu had been in to such a store, approaching it made him a bit uneasy. The day was into late afternoon, and apparently the sale was for a limited time. When they got to the bin with the stuffed animals there was only one left. It was a brown owl with large ears and black wings.

Looking over his shoulder, Tamotsu noticed a young boy pulling his mother in that direction. "Beggars can't be choosers," he said to himself. "Owls are supposed to signify wisdom, and you certainly seem to talk the part." Grabbing the toy, he quickly purchased it. Not bothering with a sales receipt, he left the store quickly.

When they were well out of the crowds and on a secluded street on the way to Urahara's shop, Tamotsu pulled the owl doll out along with the soul pill containing Pupples. "Here goes nothing," Tamotsu said as he placed the pill into the beak of the owl's mouth. For a moment nothing happened. Then the owl blinked and looked around.

"I say," the owl Pupples said. "What is the meaning of this? I am able to move about yet you still remain in your body?"

"Yeah, you were complaining so I got a stuffed animal for you to be in."

"A stuffed animal, you say? Good sir! I do have my dignity! I refuse to be in such a shabby confinement. Could you not find something more close to your own size?"

"Look. It's either this or back in the pill dispenser you go."

The owl Pupples blinked, then narrowed his eyes. "You do drive a hard bargain. Although if I am to remain in this form I insist on a new name. Pupples is meant for the dog dispenser in which I came from."

"Well, let's see…" Tamotsu thought for a moment. "Owls are known for wisdom or intelligence. I could call you Smart-ass."

Infuriated, the owl doll jumped out of Tamotsu's hand and smacked him over the forehead. "You fool! I shall have no such name!"

Hinohebi stepped forward and picked up the doll. "Well, they're also common for good luck charms. How about Lucky?"

"Now that I can live with. Honestly, are you not in harmony with your zanpakuto?"

Rubbing his forehead, Tamotsu stared at Hinohebi with a hint of anger. "Sometimes I wonder about that." Hinohebi only stuck her tongue out at the remark. "All right, Lucky. You've got a body to walk around in while I'm using this one. That's one thing down. Rangiku's got a job and we've got some leads on our mission. But now Hinohebi needs some type of Gigai of her own. Anything I've forgotten? No? All right then. Let's get this taken care of."

Shopping

It was about 4:00 when they reached Urahara's shop. Jinta was busy sweeping the front of the store when the group approached. Urahara was standing off to the side holding a green and white striped umbrella. "Well, hello there. What can I do for you today?"

"Mr. Urahara," Tamotsu started. "I wanted to know if there's anything you could do in terms of a portable Gigai."

"Portable Gigai, you say? Yes, I have some. What would you need portable Gigai's for?"

"They're for me!" Hinohebi said, raising her hand proudly. "Tamotsu says we can't do anything in this world without a Gigai."

"A Gigai for a Zanpakuto? Much like I did once for Haineko, isn't that right Rangiku?"

"Oh, yeah," Rangiku said. "I almost forgot about that. "Except Hinohebi has the tendency to come out whenever she wants to."

Hinohebi smiled smugly at the comment. "Good sir," Lucky said as he leapt onto Tamotsu's shoulder. "If she is gaining possession of a full-sized Gigai then I insist on one as well!"

"Calm yourself," Tamotsu said. "Isn't this one good enough for you, Lucky?"

Urahara's eyes opened wide at the sight. "Lucky, you say?" he commented.

"Yeah, it's the Pupples artificial soul you gave me. He insisted on having some type of body so we grabbed this stuffed owl for him and changed his name to Lucky."

Urahara smiled widely and closed the umbrella. "This is wonderful! Another addition to our parade of walking stuffed animals. Please, come inside."

The group walked inside the shop and moved to a back room. Urahara slid the door open to reveal Tessai sitting next to a table with three stuffed animals standing on the table. Tamotsu saw a bird wearing a blue dress and hood, a rabbit purse and a turtle wearing a tuxedo.

"May I introduce to you Ririn, Kurodo and Noba." The three stuffed animals answered in turn as they were introduced. "And this is Lucky. He is Tamotsu's artificial soul."

Lucky made himself known and jumped down on top of the table. Landing on the short owl feet, Lucky struggled to remain standing by flapping his wings. "Must this body be so restrictive?"

The bird, Ririn, stepped forward. "Oh, it's not that bad once you get used to it."

"Certainly," Kurodo, the rabbit-purse said. "It may seem restrictive but you're given more freedom than most and being a stuffed animal allows you to travel almost anywhere!"

"Correct," Noba the turtle said.

Tamotsu leaned close to Noba and cocked his head. "You're not much for words, are you?" he asked. In response, Noba stared motionless for a second before retreating into his shell.

"He's shy," Ririn said. "Come on, Lucky. We'll show you around the shop!" Grabbing Lucky's wing with her own, Ririn jumped off the table and ran out of the room with Lucky's plumper form struggling to keep up.

"Urahara," Tamotsu said. "Could we see about those Gigai you were talking about for Hinohebi?"

"Certainly," Urahara responded, motioning to another doorway. "Just right through here." The group entered another room, where Urahara pulled out a small box and opened it. Inside were several black balloons. "Here we are. Portable Gigai."

Tamotsu pulled one of the balloons out and stared at it. "You're kidding right? Black balloons? We're not throwing a party here."

"Oh, they're Gigai, I assure you. Hinohebi. Why don't you blow one of them up and take a look."

Hinohebi took one of the balloons and began to inflate it. It swelled like a normal balloon the first few breaths, then suddenly took on her shape and likeness. The Gigai wore black shorts, a short red shirt and a black jacket with a flame symbol on the back. Stepping inside the Gigai, Hinohebi first struggled for movement but quickly adjusted. "This is so awesome!" she exclaimed.

"Just be sure not to strain the Gigai too much," Urahara warned. "If strained too much, they will pop just like a balloon. Regular humans would believe you had exploded and we don't want that much attention."

"Okay, boss!" Hinohebi said as she saluted. "So, Tamotsu. Now can we go and do something together?"

"You go on ahead and enjoy yourself for a while," Tamotsu responded. "I think I owe you that much. Just remember you don't have any money and I won't have you spending all of my funds. Just meet back here by sunset."

Pulling Tamotsu into a full embrace, Hinohebi then skipped giddily out the front door.

"Are you sure that's a wise thing to do?" Rangiku asked. "She's a feisty one, there's no telling what she'll get herself into."

"Nobody knows who she is. As far as they know, she's just an excited tourist visiting a small town. Listen, Rangiku. I need you to do some research on that Institute we visited yesterday and gather some supplies from here like we promised."

"And what are you planning on doing?" Rangiku asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"You'll have to take calls for a while, there's something I need to take care of."

Heart of the Black Belt

Tamotsu walked into the dojo whose address Tatsuki had given him. There were no classes going on at the time, so the only person inside was the head instructor. "May I help you?" Sensei Hajime asked.

Tamotsu looked into the office and was shocked to see who was sitting behind the desk. "You?" he asked in complete surprise.

"Well, well," Hajime said. "Isn't this a surprise. Toshiyuki, wasn't it? I must say it has been a long time. What have you been up to?"

Tamotsu sat down on the seat across from Hajime. "I've taken up painting mostly now. Found a long-lost sister. And doing a little soul-searching."

Hajime smiled. "I see. So, what brings you here? I'm sure it's not to sign up for classes."

"Actually, I'm here to speak to you about one of your students. Tatsuki Arisawa."

"Yes, she is an interesting one. What about her?"

"She has great skill, but I wanted to see about asking permission for something."

"What are you planning, Toshiyuki?"

"I would like to perform a test to see if she is truly worthy of the black belt which she wears so proudly."

"I see. What kind of test?"

It was half an hour later when Tatsuki entered the dojo. Hajime had asked her to come in for some special training, to which she was quite eager. She was ordered by Hajime to suit up, which she did quickly. Running out of the locker room she knelt on the floor in the customary way of tying one's belt of rank. She didn't notice Tamotsu until it was too late. Moving swiftly, he took her belt from her and had it hanging around his neck while standing next to the door.

"Hey!" Tatsuki cried. "Give that back!" Standing up, she ran to the door and lunged for the belt. Dodging her easily, Tamotsu moved out of the way.

"I'll give it back," Tamotsu said, "but you have to pass a test."

"I'm not doing any tests until you give my belt back! Sensei, do something!"

Hajime smiled. "I am sorry, Tatsuki. But without your belt, you have no rank and are not my student. I'm afraid you'll have to do what he says. Unless you think you'll fail his test."

Tatsuki folded her arms proudly. "Ha! I can pass any test. Fine, I accept. Just tell me where and when."

"Very well," Tamotsu said. "Right now, next to the river at the area where we sparred." Exiting the dojo, Tamotsu climbed onto a bicycle. "Oh, and you have to run there. See you in a few minutes!" Pedaling along, Tamotsu didn't look back as Tatsuki stood shocked.

"I'd recommend you get moving if you want your belt back," Hajime said. Growling in frustration, Tatsuki began to run. She felt naked without her belt. What kind of test was this going to be? She'd never had to run that far before. She never had run that far before. But she would pass.

Finally reaching the river, she found Tamotsu sitting on a folding chair. "You finally made it."

"Okay," Tatsuki said as she approached him. "Tell me what this test is. When do we start?"

"It started back at the dojo. Don't you remember? And as your instructor for this test, you are not allowed to talk back to me or you will fail. Do you understand?"

Anger welled up inside of Tatsuki. Sensei Hajime had told her she must do what Tamotsu tells her, playing his little game or he wouldn't take her back as his student. "Very well… Sensei…" The words had a hint of venom as she glared at the man.

"Good. First thing first. I'm sure you know what the Bridge is. Am I right? There's other names for it."

Tatsuki smiled. "Well, Sensei, I would appreciate should you demonstrate for me."

"Very well." Jumping off the chair, Tamotsu dropped down to the ground and lifted himself, his body supported only by his elbows and toes. His back was straight and stiff. "This is all you have to do. Hold yourself like this."

Tatsuki laughed. That seemed simple enough. She fell down and assumed the same position. This wasn't too bad, she thought. At least, that was until Tamotsu sat on her shoulder. But she remained sturdy.

"Nice day, wouldn't you agree?" Tamotsu asked.

"Why you…" Tatsuki muttered.

"Oh, no. No talking back. Talk back and you fail, remember?"

Swallowing her pride, and unable to see the city, Tatsuki responded. "Yes, Sensei. It is a nice day."

"Well, I don't want to wear you out too much," Tamotsu said as he stood up and walked to his chair. "You should start feeling it in your abs now. A tightening around your biceps as well."

Tamotsu was right. It seemed such a simple exercise, but she was beginning to feel pain exactly where he mentioned.

"After about two minutes, your arms and legs will start shaking and you'll begin to sweat. Don't worry, it gets better and you can hold it forever after your body goes numb. Keep your back straight." Tamotsu pushed down as Tatsuki's back had begun to rise in an effort to ease the pain. "Back when I had my black belt, we had to do this five minutes at a time. I'm sure you could handle that long."

Tatsuki could already feel herself breathing hard. This was much more difficult than it appeared. Her arms shook and her legs felt weak. The pain in her abdominal muscles increased too. It seemed like an eternity that she lay there like that. She could feel the sweat dripping down her face. Finally, involuntarily, she collapsed.

"Four minutes," Tamotsu said. Tatsuki looked up at him. Had it only been four minutes? She had been in fights that lasted longer. "Honestly, I expected more from you. With all that skill you can't do a simple exercise like this? Maybe you don't have what it takes. Go on home." Tamotsu walked over to his chair and folded it up.

"Wait!" Tatsuki called out. Struggling, she reassumed the position. "I can do this. I will not fail!"

Tamotsu smiled. "Very well. Starting over from zero again." From zero? He was starting the clock over? What was his game? Why was he pushing her like this? "Come on now. You're mine for an hour, and it's only been three minutes. Don't tell me you're getting exhausted already."

Tatsuki held her tongue. She wanted nothing more than to beat the man, but she knew that her Sensei would find out and that would certainly strip her of the rank. Her muscles burned as she held the position. She had never backed down from anything before. She had to do this. She was the best, and she had to prove it.

Collapsing once again, Tatsuki looked up. "Two minutes," Tamotsu said. "You're not doing so well here." Even less time than her first attempt. "Well, we can't sit around having you failing at this exercise. Moving on." Walking over to the chair, Tamotsu pulled out a striking pad. About two feet long and covered in foam. "You are to block and block only. Do not strike back."

When Tatsuki had gotten to her feet, Tamotsu was already on the attack. Swinging the pad left to right, up and down, at off angles and thrusts. And he wasn't letting up. This frustrated Tatsuki. Not because of the endless barrage of strikes, but because she wasn't allowed to strike back.

Suddenly, Tamotsu stopped. She had blocked every strike. Did she pass this part? "Not bad," Tamotsu said. Walking over to the chair, he pulled out a second striking pad. "Let's try this now." Wielding one of the pads in each hand, Tamotsu came at her with doubled efforts. It kept her on edge, having to divide her attention between the two pads. And it wasn't just striking with single sticks, he combined the attacks. Two on one side, scissor cuts which she had to dodge, then a kick!

Tatsuki fell backwards and looked up in shock. "You said I was only supposed to block the pads!" she cried out.

Tamotsu scratched his head. "Did I say that? I thought my instructions were to block and block only. I never said anything about only using the pads. Tell you what. We'll go all out. You can strike as much as you'd like."

Finally, Tatsuki thought. Now this I can do. Taking her fighting stance, she was surprised to see Tamotsu taking a stance with dual-wielding the pads. Lunging forward, Tamotsu parried her punch and spun around with the other pad having it touch her neck lightly. With his extended reach, he was at the advantage and he knew it. None of Tatsuki's strikes could even get close. On the other hand, Tamotsu fought with a grace and skill she had never expected.

Blocking one punch, Tamotsu spun around, flipping one pad into a reverse grip as he struck with the second pad. Bringing the reversed one up, he brushed it against Tatsuki's uniform, then her face. Using the moment of surprise, he spun around again and pushed her full force. The impact sent her sprawling into the grass.

Panting hard, Tatsuki stood again. Who was this guy? Without a second thought, Tamotsu tossed the pads to the side. "You disappoint me," he said. "Enough sparring. Horse stance, now!" Baring her teeth, Tatsuki assumed the horse-stance position. "It's kind of hot out. Would you like some water?"

He was being generous now? Breathing hard and trying to hide her relief, Tatsuki responded with "Yes, please." Tamotsu left and returned a moment later with five small cups of water. He placed one on each of Tatsuki's knees, one on each of her shoulders and finally one on top of her head.

"There you go," Tamotsu said. "Try not to spill it." Tatsuki grimaced as she noticed the glasses already starting to vibrate. "You're despising me now, aren't you? I never said I would get anything for you to drink." Looking up at the top of the hill, Tamotsu saw Hajime descending the steps. "If you'll excuse me."

Tatsuki watches as Tamotsu walked toward her Sensei. She had to hold this position. It was more difficult than she thought. What was going on? She was exhausted, surely Tamotsu could see that. How much longer did she have on this test? One of her knees gave out, the action caused all of the water to drop from their placed positions.

After a moment, Tamotsu returned and Hajime walked away. "Tatsuki, you disappoint me. I expected more from you. Can't you complete just one of the tasks I give you? I just spoke with your Sensei," Tamotsu said. "I told him to get two Ice Creams. Butter Pecan, if I recall. That was your favorite?"

Bastard! Tatsuki thought. They were going to sit and eat her favorite Ice Cream in front of her while she suffered.

"Tell you what," Tamotsu said suddenly. "Let's speed things up a bit." Walking to the chair, Tamotsu picked up the belt. "You can have your belt back on one condition. All you have to do is take it from me and it's yours. No more fighting. No more drills. Just take it from me and you can go home successful."

"What, is this some type of joke?"

"No joke. Unless you think you can't do it."

Something inside Tatsuki snapped. She lunged at Tamotsu, arm extended. He easily dodged. "Your movements are sloppy." Throwing punches and kicks in a full-out attack, Tamotsu seemed do dance around the blows. With a sudden flurry of movements by Tamotsu, Tatsuki suddenly found herself on the ground staring up at the sky. "Come on, you couldn't even dodge that?"

Infuriated Tatsuki jumped up again and attacked. She only made three moves before Tamotsu was behind her, holding her neck in a lock. "You're pathetic. Why don't you just give up already?" Getting thrown down again, Tatsuki struggled to her feet. "We've only been here half the time I was given and already you're on your knees. This is supposed to be your best effort?"

"Don't…" Tatsuki said. "Don't… Mock ME!" She lunged again, falling immediately on her own. Her face was turning red, the emotion swelling within her. She was supposed to be the best in the region. There was nothing she couldn't do. So why? Why does this person who came from nowhere make it seem so easy to make a fool of her?

"Look at you," Tamotsu said. "You can barely stand. You're a disgrace. Why do you keep going? This can all be over if you just leave now. Forget it. You've failed the test."

Tears welled up in Tatsuki's eyes. She… failed? She had never failed before.

"Face it," Tamotsu said, standing over her with the belt dangling before her eyes. "You weren't able to complete one task I gave you. You weren't able to land one strike on me. If you want this back, you'll have to start the test all over again."

Start over? Tatsuki thought. From the beginning? She could feel sweat dripping from her face, then tears.

"Is it really this important to you?" Tamotsu cried, almost shouting at her. "Is this so important that you'd risk humiliating yourself over and over again, only to fail time after time, just to wear a black piece of fabric?"

The tears fell freely now. Was she really that pathetic? Finding her strength, she looked at Tamotsu. "I'll do it," she said. Attempting to stand, she fell to her knees once again.

"What was that?"

"I said… I'll do it. I'll take your test. If I can pass it only once, but I will not give up!"

"Is that your decision?"

"Yes…"

"Okay. Here you go." Tamotsu was smiling, and placed Tatsuki's belt around her neck. "Boy, you really had me going there for a minute. I thought you really were going to give up. Come on, you need to sit down before you pass out. Drink this." Tamotsu had pulled out a water bottle from the bag next to his seat.

Feeling light headed, Tatsuki accepted the water and looked at Tamotsu. "I don't understand. I passed?"

Sitting next to Tatsuki, Tamotsu looked at the sun setting over Karakura. "The purpose of the test was not to test your skills and abilities, but your will. The only way to have failed was to give up. I'm sorry I had to push you so far, but you had to realize for yourself just how much it meant to you. Do you understand now?"

Looking at her belt, Tatsuki smiled. "I never realized how much it meant to me. So all I had to do was keep going, no matter what?"

Tamotsu nodded. "That, my friend, is a true black belt. Here comes your Sensei." Tamotsu stood and bowed deeply to Hajime. "I thank you for the opportunity to test your student. She is well deserving of her rank." With that, Tamotsu began walking away and packed his chair and pack.

"Aren't you going to eat your Ice Cream?" Tatsuki asked.

Tamotsu smiled. "Don't you remember? I told you I asked him for two Ice Cream. I never said I would be eating one. I think your Sensei deserves to have Ice Cream with his best student." Packing the rest of his things on the bicycle, Tamotsu began to ride westward into the sunset.

Hajime sat down next to Tatsuki and gave her one of the desserts. "So what do you think of him?" he asked.

"He knew what I needed, even though I didn't want it," she said. "He's a leader. How do you know him?"

"I trained him. A few things, he wasn't very good back then. He's certainly improved a lot since then."

"I never would have thought someone like him used to be weak."

"Tamotsu Toshiyuki is an interesting one. Did I ever tell you that you remind me a lot of someone else I used to train? She had strong will. I wonder how she's doing these days."

It had been a long time since he had seen that student. He often wondered. Did she ever think about him? How was she doing these days? Hajime wasn't sure if he'd ever have the chance to see her again. Would she remember him? What would her reaction be? Of course, the last time he saw her was the last day he was known as Kaien Shiba.