The rest of the day was filled with fun and relaxation. They played in the sand and built sand castles. They swam and had fun racing each other in the water. Some, like Keigo, waded and relaxed enjoying the cool temperature of the water. Yamasaki laid out and enjoyed the warm rays of the sun. Mizuiro, having brought a camera, took pictures of everyone trying to capture all the fun moments, like when the whole group snuck up on Keigo lying in the water. They picked him up and threw him as hard as they could deeper into the water.
Ishida and Ichigo were battling it out to see who could make the best sand castle out the two. Tatsuki and Orihime watched and cheered on their boyfriends. Sado, like Yamasaki, laid out under the sun. But, he sat in a beach chair under an umbrella reading a book. The day went on as such, everyone relaxing and having fun. And as the sun began to set, they migrated closer to the gazebo, which due to its massive design, had garnered the nickname the fortress.
While Yamasaki and Sado dug a bit of a dip in the sand to make a fire pit, the rest of the guys opened the bags and cut the strings holding the cords of wood. They piled a few of the logs on top of some kindling. Then Yamasaki used his kido to light the kindling so that the logs would catch fire. They all sat around the fire as the sun set in the distance. There was a peaceful and calm silence as they sat around the fire, something that many of them hardly had the time to do.
Ichigo, Orihime, Ishida, and Sado are usually busy day to day having to control the hollow population from preying on the innocent. Days go by where they hardly have enough time to relax and rest. Tatsuki also was busy training for Vale Tudo Championships. Some nights she would be some busy in training, she had no time to be with Ichigo nor barely get any rest for school the next day. Keigo... Mizuiro worked at a local convenient store to make some money for the sake of having income.
As the night got darker, the wind grew a little cooler. Ichigo and Ishida, acting upon normal couple instincts, sat behind their girlfriends and wrapped their body around them to keep them warm. They sat around the fire reminiscing about times in the past and remembering all the funny moments, which oddly enough were mostly Keigo getting in trouble with Tatsuki. Somehow they got onto the topic about couples, mainly how did Tatsuki and Ichigo become a couple and Ishida and Orihime as well. Mizuiro talked about his girlfriend. Keigo... Sado failed to comment on why he as single. This left Yamasaki who had been fairly quiet during their bonfire talk.
"Hey Yamasaki, your turn." Ichigo said. "Got any girlfriends that you've been hiding from us?" Yamasaki smiled lightly.
"No, not really." He answered. "I've kept to the single life for awhile. Unlike Keigo, I chose so." He smirked as Keigo let out a cry which had everyone laugh.
"So no ex's or anything like that?" Mizuiro asked.
"I did have one, actually." Yamasaki began. "It was awhile back, back when I was in Soul Society. But, it's a pretty boring story you guys don't want to hear it. Did anyone bring marshmallows?"
"Hey now!" Ichigo interjected. "Don't change the subject. You heard all about our relationships. Talk about yours." Everyone else voiced their agreement, to which Yamasaki let out a quiet sigh.
"We met while she was out on a mission. I was fishing in one of the ponds. Suddenly her squad surrounded me as she approached. I didn't really notice, I had a bite and it was fighting. I think she was yelling at me for something, but I was too focused on getting this fish. It was pretty bad." He began to chuckle.
"It all happened so quickly. I yanked the pole and the fish came jumping out the water. And well... let's just say she caught the fish whether she liked it or not."
"So what'd she do after the fish landed on her?" Sado asked.
"I don't know." He answered pridefully. "I ran away before she or anyone on her squad could catch me." He chuckled lightly.
"After that, it was rough. She didn't quite forgive me for that because she had the stench of fish on her for a week."
"When did the two of you start getting close to each other?" Ichigo asked. Yamasaki took a sip from his water bottle before answering.
"It was one day she was trying to get her revenge on me. I was standing on a cliff just enjoying the weather. She tried to sneak up behind me, but I knew she was there." He took another quick gulp of water before continuing his story. "We got into a hand-to-hand fight for a bit. When we broke apart for a quick breather we complimented each other for our close quarter combat. That's when I made a bet." Yamasaki had a smirk on his face now.
"I said, 'You fight really good. How about a wager?' She had this evil grin on her face, like she knew what I was about to say. 'The loser has to acknowledge that the winner is better in hand-to-hand combat than the other.'" Yamasaki stared into the fire, asking Sado to place a few more logs onto the leaned backwards and grabbed a few of the logs from the pile behind him. He placed them right in the middle of the pit so they were directly on the fire.
"She agreed and we went at it for hours. It was a lot of fun. I knew she was enjoying herself, I could see the smile on her face. I don't know how long we went at it, but at one point we finally stopped and just stood there trying to catch our breaths. And then... we kissed." Yamasaki spoke a little more softly now, a light blush formed on his face but in the darkness it was impossible to see.
"It was so wrong, but yet so right. Next thing I know, I was running my fingers through her hair. She was squeezing my shoulders tight." Yamasaki had that distant, yet excited, look in his eyes as he continued his story. "Somehow, I ended up pressing her up against a tree, my lips never let go of hers." Yamasaki grew more and more spirited as he continued his story.
"We broke apart for only a moment just to catch our breath. In that split second, I saw something in her eyes. There was something that was just begging me to give more. Next thing you know we're ripp-"
"OK ENOUGH ALREADY!" Ichigo suddenly roared out. His face was a bright red. Yamasaki looked over at him with a quizzical look. Then, he busted out in laughter when he saw Ichigo's face.
"Why is your face so red Ichigo!?" He said with a huge grin on his face. "Were you getting a little too exci-" Another one of Ichigo's fist met Yamasaki's face, a vain pulsing in his forehead. Everyone was laughing as Yamasaki sat there nursing his second bruise of the day, on his head, courtesy of Ichigo.
Suddenly an ominous feeling filled the air. Everyone grew silent and serious as they looked towards the city, lit as bright as always.
"That was a strong reiatsu in the city." Ishida said as he stood up. "I'll go che-".
"I got it." Yamasaki interrupted. "You guys relax. It's your first day of summer vacation, enjoy it." He said with a warm smile on his face. "I'll be right back." And with that, Yamasaki disappeared and headed out to where the hollow was.
Meanwhile, the rest of the group decided to roast some marshmallows. Tatsuki declined to participate, and instead wanted to go take a walk on the beach. Ichigo stood up, ready to walk with her, but Tatsuki refused.
"I'm fine Ichigo." She said with a small smile on her face. "The fire got me a little warmed up, I just want to go walk and cool down a little." She wiped a few beads of sweat off her forehead as she headed out. Feeling Ichigo's eyes follow her, she smiled as she continued to walk.
"I can take care of myself, I'm not a weakling ya know." She yelled. Ichigo stared for a moment before he smiled and turned back to the fire where Sado was passing around the marshmallows while Mizuiro handed everyone a stick. Everyone placed their marshmallow on the sticks and set them by the fire. Keigo had gone inside the tent and went through one of the bags. He came back with a bag of chocolate and graham crackers. Everyone cheered as he opened the containers and passed around the chocolate and graham crackers. Ichigo grabbed a second set, planning to make one for Tatsuki when she got back.
Tatsuki walked along the part of the beach where the waves came crashing up against. She let the water immerse her toes whenever it came crashing up on the shore. It felt good to her. She looked back at the fire, they had started making the s'mores. She smiled when she saw the s'mores kit sitting in the empty chair next to Ichigo.
She looked back at the ocean, dimly lit by the light radiating from the half moon in the night sky. Not many stars could be seen, for there were clouds in the sky hiding their brilliance from Tatsuki. She was mildly upset by this fact, but it was nothing that really bothered her. She took a deep breath, enjoying the cool evening air as she slowly exhaled. Suddenly she felt a presence behind her, not knowing what it was she quickly turned around, readying herself for whatever..
"Hey." Yamasaki simply said. She could barely see his face, but could make out a smile. She smiled back, not knowing whether or not he could see it.
"What'cha doin' out here by yourself?" He asked. "Don't tell me my story got you worked up too?" He joked. Tatsuki let out a small chuckle and she lightly shook her head.
"Sometimes I wonder just how innocent Ichigo really is." She spoke with her usually mischievous grin. "I was enjoying it myself." Now it was Yamasaki's turn to laugh.
"So what are ya doin' out here?" He asked again after their laughter had settled. Tatsuki turned back around to face the ocean, some waves crashed again onto the shore and over her toes before they withdrew back into the ocean.
"Yamasaki, I need to ask you something. I don't want to involve Ichigo because I'm scared he might get too worried." Her voice cracked slightly as though she was holding back her emotions. "Can you promise me that?" She turned, facing him. Through the moonlight, she could see his smile was no longer there, replaced by a serious yet concerned friend.
"When did you first notice it?" Yamasaki knew not to beat around the bush. He knew exactly where the conversation was going. Tatsuki, a little taken back by the sudden question, somehow knew Yamasaki understood what she was talking about. A small smile of relief crept upon her lips.
"Of course. Of all of my friends, I knew you would have the best chance of knowing if something was wrong." She said. "Before I answer you have to promi-"
"He kinda already knows." He said. "Remember a few days ago we met in the park?" Tatsuki nodded.
"When we walked off for a second to talk, I asked him to focus his attention on your reiatsu. We felt a spike in your reiatsu for a brief moment. I told him to watch over you and make sure everything was ok." He placed a hand on Tatsuki's shoulder. "Tell me... when did you first start noticing something wasn't right with your reiatsu?"
"A few days ago, actually. I was in the dojo training by myself. I was practicing on the wooden dummy, when I started getting into my routine. Suddenly, I felt this strong force within me start to grow. I was speeding up my routine on the dummy, but somehow I felt distant from my body." Tatsuki stared into the distant sea remembering that day.
"I was watching myself practice, but I couldn't do anything. Each hit on the dummy got stronger and stronger. I thought to myself I should stop, but it felt so... right. I fought, trying to snap out of it but I kept hitting the dummy harder and harder. Suddenly, I saw my body just let out a spurt of energy and broke every peg that was sticking out of the base." She lifted her arms as though she was re-enacting the scene in her mind.
"When I finally regained my senses, I looked down at my hands and arms. They were covered in bruises from hitting the wood so hard. Apparently, my hands had been cut open when the parts of the pegs broke. I didn't care, though. I felt... oddly at peace as I watched the blood drip from my fingertips." She clenched her fists, which were now shaking with fear.
"What's happening to me?" She turned to look at Yamasaki, her eyes watering up from the rush of emotions filling her body. Yamasaki looked away. He thought for a moment before he spoke.
"Has Ichigo ever told you, about the hollow within him?" Tatsuki didn't understand his answer. What did that have to do with her? When she shook her head no, she was about to ask but then he continued.
"Don't tell him I told you about this. The same reason why you won't tell him about this, applies to this as well." She nodded, eagerly waiting to hear the story. "Ichigo has kind of like an inner hollow within him. When he first started feeling its presence, it was a little uncontrollable. When he first transformed into the hollow, he became a mindless being that only wanted to fight and kill. It scared him to death to the point where he didn't want to use his shinigami powers because every time he used his powers the hollow's presence would get stronger and stronger."
He left go of her shoulder and walked a little past her and closer to the ocean, looking up at the moon. Little did they know, someone from the fire had never taken their focus away from Tatsuki and Yamasaki. Though they physically were taking part in the laughter and stories around the campfire, they had kept their attention on the two.
"Through time and meeting new people, he was able to go within himself and control the hollow. Now, he can summon its power without worry as the hollow gave itself to Ichigo therefore admitting Ichigo was the better of the two."
"So you're saying there's a hollow within me?" Tatsuki asked, not waiting for Yamasaki to finish the story.
"No." He simply responded. "Yours is different. It doesn't feel like a hollow, nor a shinigami, or a Quincy, or even a fullbringer."
"Then what?" Tatsuki pleaded. Yamasaki could hear the despair in her voice. He gave her a comforting look, trying to keep her from getting any more upset.
"It's more... animalistic. Pure rage. I don't how else I can explain it. I wish I did." He looked away, unhappy that he couldn't answer her question.
"Ani... malistic?" She asked.
"The reiatsu you emit kind of reminds me of a wild animal. A strong yet willful force that's very dangerous to mess with." Tatsuki grew even more concerned. Truthfully, she was scared.
"How can I stop this?" Tatsuki asked. She looked down at her hands again, still lightly trembling.
"I'm working on it." He responded. "Staying positive and keeping your stress level down has shown to keep that rage within you from growing. I didn't feel anything from you all day today until we caught wind of that hollow. I felt a sudden increase and knew I had to act fast." Yamasaki turned to look at the group at the fire, he could feel a pair of eyes staring over at their direction.
"I think you should head back. Ichigo might get worried and look for you." He said. Tatsuki, still distressed about herself, began her way back to the fire.
"Hey." Yamasaki called out. He gave her a warm friendly embrace. "I promise I'll figure something out. OK?" He flashed a consoling grin at her. She lightly squeezed his arm, a sign of thanks, which was still around her. He let her go as he turned towards the city.
"I'm going to scout around the city one more time to make sure everything is ok. I'll be back shortly." And with that, he disappeared back into the city. As she approached the fire, she placed a hand on Ichigo's shoulder. He looked up and smiled. She smiled back as she sat down next to him.
"Feelin better?" Ichigo asked as he handed her a premade s'more. She happily took the snack and nodded, taking a small bite into it before she answered.
"Yeah. I just needed to cool down. I'm good now." She happily took another bite from the delicious s'more. Just then Yamasaki came back. He appeared behind Keigo with an evil grin on his face.
"Hello Keigo." He spoke in a quiet menacing voice. Keigo jumped, head first, to the other side of the fire. He landed head first into the sand burying the upper half of his body. Everyone laughed as he pulled himself out from the sands, cursing Yamasaki for scaring him like that.
Everyone was sitting around the fire enjoying their s'mores. Everyone except Yamasaki, who came back a little too late. Everyone had already made two or three and used up all the supplies. Yamasaki sat there with his arms crossed with a pout on his face.
"Hey Yamasaki, can I ask you something?" Orihime, who had been fairly quiet all night, asked out of the blue.
"Sure. What's up?" Yamasaki asked.
"I wanted to ask before you disappeared after that hollow. But, what's that bracelet on your arm?" She pointed to his left wrist where the bracelet in question was. It was a simple 8 beaded metallic bracelet.
"Oh this thing?" He asked, lifting his left arm. "This is my reiatsu limiter."
"What does it do?" Orihime asked, obviously to the stares she received from everyone.
"Well, essentially how it works is, the limiter makes sure I don't go over a certain amount of reiatsu. If I try to, it'll activate and stop me from releasing more reiatsu." He answered.
"But why would you want to do that?" Orihime questioned some more. "What if you get caught fighting a really really tough enemy and he just keeps getting stronger and stronger." At this point she was standing, flexing the non-existent arm muscles. Yamasaki chuckled lightly.
"Well, I just try to get rid of them quickly before they can summon more power." He said with a smile.
"How long have you worn it? I don't remember seeing you wearing it when we first met." This time it was Ishida's turn to question him.
"Yeah. I just started wearing it recently. You remember that espada that came to earth a few years back." He looked around and everyone nodded.
"Well, I went to Hueco Mundo to finish him off and had to release my Bankai to do so. Unfortunately, doing so actually altered the landscape of the spot where I released my Bankai. The ground is now a hole that looks like a bottomless pit. I'm worried because, what if I do the same in Soul Society or even here on Earth. The results could be disastrous. So, I had Urahara create this limiter so that I couldn't go past a certain point in reiatsu."
Tatsuki stared at the bracelet, eyes transfixed on it. 'A reiatsu limiter...' She thought to herself. The night went on and everyone started to grow tired. Mizuiro was the first to go to sleep. He picked a spot furthest away from the entrance and rolled out his sleeping bag. He crawled into the bag and quickly fell asleep.
"Hey Yamasaki, I just noticed something." Ichigo asked. "Where's the zipper to close the door? I noticed there is none."
"You haven't noticed?" Ishida answered before Yamasaki could. "Try to kick some sand towards the entrance." He pushed up his glasses back up with his free arm, his other arm around Orihime's waist. Ichigo picked up some sand and threw it at the opening in the gazebo. As it reached the entrance, it suddenly disappeared. Ichigo looked on as all the sand he threw disappeared. He picked up another bit of sand and threw it at the sides of the gazebo, with the same result.
"I knew you would be the one to notice." Yamasaki said. "I have a special ward on it that'll keep alot of things out of gazebo. That way we didn't have to worry about alot of things creeping up on us as we slept." Sado was the next to go, followed closely by Keigo. As hard as she tried, Orihime tried to stay awake. She would doze off with her mouth open and a little drool would fall on Uryuu's arm. He would chastise her and tell her to go to sleep, but she refused.
Just then Tatsuki got up and proclaimed she was going to sleep. She beckoned for Orihime to join her, who finally gave in. Ichigo stood up and gave Tatsuki a kiss on her forehead. Ishida got up and held Orihime as he kissed her on the cheek. The girls quickly made their ways into the tent and crawled into their sleeping bags. Yamasaki, Ichigo, and Uryuu sat in silence. Yamasaki poked at the fire a little bit to keep the embers burning. He stood up and walked over to the pile of logs and grabbed a few. He placed them in the middle of the fire and poked the lit logs underneath to help catch the logs faster. Tatsuki and Orihime quickly fell asleep.
"I think I'm going to go to sleep too." Ichigo said. He got up and headed over to the gazebo. He grabbed his sleeping bag and sat it next to Tatsuki. He laid down and ran his fingers through her hair. She stirred lightly and opened her eyes. She snuggled her head a little into Ichigo's chest who simply kissed her forehead and closed his eyes.
"Does she know?" Ishida asked. Yamasaki never taking his eyes off the fire, answered.
"She has an idea. But she doesn't know exactly what it is yet." Ishida also stared into the fire intently.
"What are we going to do?" Ishida asked.
"We'll have to talk to Urahara tomorrow. I'm concerned." Yamasaki said.
"I am too. I'm concerned with what's going to happen with Tatsuki." Ishida responded.
"Not just Tatsuki. I know Soul Society has taken notice. I'm concerned about how they're going to react." The two sat there in silence, watching the fire burn into the fresh logs. Suddenly a hollow roared in the distance.
"Man they are busy tonight." Yamasaki commented with a small chuckle.
"It must be because of the summer. I bet alot of the students are out partying and having fun. It is the first day of summer." Ishida stood up. "I'll take care of this one, I want to clear my mind a little before I head to sleep."
"You're going to sleep as soon as you come back?" Yamasaki asked. Ishida nodded as he disappeared. Yamasaki got up he moved from his spot so that he could stand between the fire and the gazebo. He put his hands towards the fire and lightly blasted it with a water spell. The fire instantly disappeared. Then he recited an ice spell, to freeze the wood so that they wouldn't catch again. He walked into the gazebo and grabbed his sleeping bag. He placed it near the entrance, far from all the rest. He slipped inside and instantly fell asleep.
Now, onto the main story. Expect things to pick up from here in terms of content and the pace of the story.