I'll See You in Sierra (Cala/Saiko)

As Cala waited at the entrance to the Sierra National Forest, idly playing on their phone for a moment, they had to admit that going camping had not been their first idea for a date to invite Saiko on. In fact it wasn't even really on their initial list of ideas as they had fretted and worried over when or how they should call her. It had been a little over a week since their last meeting and, two distinct meetings with Shinigami trying to kill their other self aside, it had been fairly tame.

But the reason Cala has finally decided on this course of action all began with... well... how disastrously slow their cooking lessons had been going. From what they understood, and from how Ari had reacted, when you put the milk in the cereal it wasn't supposed to catch on fire.....

Anyways.

After that and making slow, very slow, progress in developing their cooking skills Cala had actually began thinking of what they could do on their first outing together. They had already met in dreary, rainy London and Cala was in the western USA at this point so they figured it would be a good idea for a change of scenery. That had narrowed it down to something out of a major city and in a nicer climate. Cala had briefly looked over cruises or the idea of going to a beach but... well... cruises seemed a big commitment and the idea of Saiko in a swimsuit seemed too much to handle right now. Brief flashbacks of their meeting Hono and how people had reacted to them on the beach before also.... dissuaded them from that option.

That left Cala with the only real option, at least to them, being going camping. Cala had taken great care to pack enough supplies, with food, water, bug spray, a nice tent, the works. At least enough to stay for one night if they wanted and Cala couldn't help but appreciate how different this forest was from the forest of Menos in Hueco Mundo. All the wildlife around were pretty peaceful, and the natural scenery was beautiful.

Speaking of beautiful Cala startled softly as they felt Saiko approach and, lifting their bag up onto their back again, would give a happy, if sheepish, wave.

"H-Hi Saiko. I'm really glad you could make it!"

Work, work, and more work. That about sums up Saiko's week. With her investing more time into the Soul Society and executing duties in the human world to keep earning her place, the hybrid knew she was keeping herself consistent mentally and physically. Yet, that same grind can wear down a person emotionally if their more humane needs aren't met. To that end, today was a rest day, and Saiko knew she needed to recover if she were to be a great asset to the Gotei.

Since Saiko's reminders already alerted her of when Cala wanted to meet, it wasn't much of a thought to traverse to the Sierra National Forest. Having been dropped off via a senkaimon after finishing a brief meeting in the soul society, the woman's eyes locked in on Cala as she took in the cool breeze of the autumn air. Calm, quiet, and filled with majestic natural wonders; the scenery around them made the woman smile. For this reason, she remained silent for a few moments even after the likes of Cala had addressed her. When she was done taking in the trees, mountains, and rivers around them, Saiko nodded and hugged Cala briefly.

"Of course, why would I not come? I'm a woman of my word."

Chuckling to herself, she continued to move her eye toward the endless forest around them before speaking aloud:

"Camping, huh? How do you intend to start us out, Cala? Shall we walk around and catch up or set up a base?"

To say that Cala was surprised by the hug would be a bit of an understatement. But to say that they were pleasantly surprised would be the absolute truth! As Saiko hugged them Cala returned the gesture, arms encircling and squeezing gently, not for fear of hurting her obviously, but simply due to the hug separating after a moment. As Saiko looked around, taking in the natural beauty of the forest around them, Cala wracked their brain for what they had studied about camping trips. Naturally mortals made a much bigger deal about avoiding dangerous wildlife than they would usually have to worry about but they also recalled the run in with the other Hollow their other self had mentioned.... even so if they encountered anything strong enough to harm Saiko randomly in the forest there were.... much bigger problems to worry about.

Anyways!

Going over what they remembered reading Cala smiled softly and hefted the camping material they had brought into their arms, hugging it to their chest, and inclining their head softly off to one side. Further up the trail which inclined gently as if going into the sky itself Cala would nod.

"We think we're supposed to walk around and find somewhere we like first. Somewhere that looks nice or somewhere we enjoy...."

Cala would pause, ever so briefly, and purse their lips as they remembered a lot of the pictures, videos and things they had seen about camping, especially the ones about camping dates, involving holding hands with the other person. An act that the very prospect of made their stomach twist into a knot like two fighting serpents before Cala averted their eyes, closed them even, and offered their right hand hand as their other arm still held the camping supplies close. A subtle flush of their cheeks unable to be helped as they added softly.

".... We think we could also get to places to camp that normal people couldn't so.... that could be fun."

Trying to think of something to talk about to catch up Cala decided to begin with.

"Umm.... f-from what our other self told us two Shinigami tried to kill us recently. One they talked to, the other umm.... shot Kido at us."

Small talk may have been Cala's strong suit but Saiko made them anxious enough this was what they decided to lead with.

A soft giggle left Saiko's mouth as she noticed Cala struggling to grab her hand. It was not like she was going to bite his hand off, so she held on in return and gave some of her warmth to him in that skin-to-skin contact.

"No need to be so intense about it."

After snorting, the woman paused and pointed to the north.

"We can explore, find somewhere we both like, and then set up our camp. Besides, I have a small pocket dimension with supplies ready once we find a good spot."

Nodding her head, Saiko motioned for Cala to walk with her. She certainly wanted to go over some of the things he brought up. Hearing all this commotion about him nearly being killed by shinigami certainly made her concerned. However, as far as anything happening to them on this trip? Ha, not a chance. Whether it be shinigami or hollow, the hybrid felt prepared to deal with anything.

"C'mon, let's keep walking and talking. What in the world happened to you? You have to tell me more about these incidents."

As Saiko took their hand Cala tilted their head, a bit confused, as Saiko remarked to not be so intense about the contact, as from what they had seen mortals considered the act of holding hands to be rather intimate. Shaking off their momentary confusion Cala turned their lavender eyes off to look where Saiko had pointed, the warmth of her hand very reassuring to them, and Cala would give her hand a gentle squeeze of confirmation while also wincing a little. Glancing down at their gathered supplies with quite a bit of sheepishness as Saiko mentioned their pocket dimension. Not that they would have had any way of knowing but.... well.... still it made them feel a little silly having packed sleeping bags, food, snacks and warmth for the both of them. At the very least they should have expected Saiko to bring things for herself even without a handy-dandy pocket dimension.

As Saiko motioned to start walking Cala would do so, smiling softly up the birds that flew overhead, singing beautifully, before they blinked side-long at Saiko and nodded their head at her insistence to hear about these incidents. This made Cala fidget the bundle against their chest a little bit, adjusting it anxiously as they chewed on the inside of their lip.

"A-Ahh... right... umm... I wasn't exactly errrrr..... conscious during them. From what our other self mentioned they were in Greece. The first one was when we were hunting another Hollow that got too close to a city. A Shinigami named Tento fought us briefly but I umm.... I think we won? We ended up talking... or our other self talked to them... wounded him a bit in defense I-I think.... but w-well... yeah. Things de-escalated as quickly as they escalated....."

Cala would look down along the length of a gentle creek winding it's way down the hill they walked as they reached a small plateau of surprisingly flat land on the hill's side. Giving the creek a small area where it formed something like a brook, or a particularly large water hole, a few animals congregating here for the water source and Cala would giggle softly as a thought occurred to them.

"...kinda funny. His name being Tent-o and we're going camping now....."

Realizing how bad their joke was almost immediately Cala would duck their head sheepishly and hug the camping supplies closer, all but burying their face in them briefly before huffing in embarrassment.

"S-Sorry. Ummm the second time was when we saw a Shinigami girl being attacked by a large Hollow. It was unusually strong and beating her up."

Cala's brow would furrow as they would onwards and upwards, stepping across the stream without disturbing the water and shrugging.

"I think I was more conscious with this one. At least I vaguely remember agreeing we should help from the back of our mind. The Hollow was really strong, not a-as strong as you I mean, but emm.... still. It cut us some. We protected her while she made a spell and killed it. Though we-..."

Cala hesitated for a moment, feeling a little guilty despite not being the half of themselves not in control at the time, and their hand would squeeze Saiko's a little tighter.

"We um... could feel she was hostile to us... and while protecting her she was behind us and we got... s-scared. I think? We tried to incapacitate her so she couldn't stab us in the back, at least that's what our other self decided to do. It didn't work but we tried to make amends afterward. We are still... uhh..... anxious about surviving still. But... that's kinda weird to say out loud."

Shaking their head Cala would pause as they crested the hill, overlooking a gorgeous valley of vibrant treetops. The series of hills they were in turning to much steeper, rockier things off to the east, like the kinds of things rock-climbers would scale for fun. With their thumb idly caressing the back of Saiko's hand Cala would stare out over the valley for a long moment before asking with a subtle, tiny frown on their face.

"I doubt the Gotei would be happy if they knew you were here.... w-with me. Threat or not."

Well, Cala certainly got up to a lot when Saiko wasn't around. It seemed like he had his own little training and battle arc, given how in-depth some of these stories were with them getting into so much trouble. So, she was definitely listening to him as he explained everything that had happened. Yet, despite that, she also could appreciate the majestic beauty of all that was around them.

It was so beautiful to see the animals moving throughout the forest, the freshwater from the creek all around them, and the endless rows of green that spiraled all around them. It is why she motioned for them to stop here so that the two of them could actually take in the serenity of this scene and perhaps find someplace nearby to set up camp, as they had water, land, and wildlife all around them to make something cozy.

However, around this time, Cala seemed more flustered at his attempt to make a joke, and Saiko giggled at it. After giving him a pat on the head, she spoke.

"Relax. I'm not going to kill you for a cheesy pun, Cala. Keep talking. I'm listening."

And as the hollow spoke more, Saiko tapped her chin and pondered for a few moments before her eyes narrowed on him. She noticed something through all of his ramblings that seemed potent: fear. Fear is what made him nervous in this situation, what caused him to react poorly in those critical circumstances and what was holding him back. So, she nodded and decided to speak about it.

"I think you need to control your fear more. You've certainly been through a lot, but I think that anxiety, dread, and terror will cause you to make terrible judgments in the future. I can help you with that if you want, but I'm just saying this for your benefit, Cala."

Now patting his back and hugging him, Saiko brushed his hair and looked at him before tilting her head.

"Why would they not be happy I'm here with you? Did you do something crazy?"

Cala ducked their head sheepishly as Saiko giggled at their, admittedly, bad joke and they blinked when she pat their head. Cala averted their eyes at this, turning their head away to look out over the natural beauty of the forest around them, only to turn their attention back to Saiko as she mentioned their fear, and they would look back down the hill briefly, thinking. Setting their supplies down briefly Cala would look back at Saiko as she offered to help with their fear. A topic she had broached before and it had... not gone well. Cala stared back into Saiko's eyes for a long moment, wide purple-pink eyes gazing into ocean-blue as she hugged him and brushed his hair away.

Cala wanted to answer, but found their words halted in their seizing chest, the words battered down by the quick thrumming of their blood in their veins. Her final question, however, made them grimace and look away, staring out over the expansive wilderness and the chirping birds, the frolicking animals and beautiful sunlight, and make a rather obvious attempt to divert the conversation that their own heart wasn't even in as they murmured.

"It... it is very beautiful here...."

Cala would immediately frown at this and, looking back at Saiko, would mumble.

"Everything is.... ummm....."

Cala's hand would raise up, cupping the hand Saiko had used to brush their hair back, and gently hold it to their cheek as Cala's eyes lowered to the ground. Their throat working in a brief swallowing motion before they inhaled shakily and answered.

"Help with our fear.... I-I think... would be good. Just not b-by taking it away. Not that, please?"

That hand softly holding hers to their cheek would gently grip her hand and envelope it in soft, pleasant warmth as their eyes flitted back and forth, thinking.

"If you would... maybe... help me train? Our other self can fight th-thought we're not very strong... I'm not... I-I can't. I'm almost helpless."

Shuffling their feet Cala would straighten their shoulders and shake their head, pressing their cheek gently into Saiko's palm and closing their eyes.

"No.... we haven't done anything. Shinigami just.... always hunt Hollows a-and not including you most of the Shinigami we've met have been hostile to us. A-At least at first..... so...."

Cala's voice faded away, nervousness coiling in their stomach, and they shrugged softly.

"Do you ever think... maybe.... that you'd have to hunt someone like me? Someone scared and just trying to survive who seems like a dangerous, evil Hollow? If we were as weak compared to those Shinigami as we are you....."

Cala's free hand gently took Saiko's and they squeezed, softly, though it was obvious they were scared, even now, but... not for themselves. Not directly.

"....we would not be here now, to be with you. That... is what scares... me."

Well, it was apparent Cala wanted to feel Saiko more than ever. With him moving her hand to his cheek, the mistress of glum let out a small giggle and noticed the hollow acting sheepishly. However, his words were a lot direr than his appearance.

After taking a moment to digest some of his words about fear, Saiko nodded and spoke.

"Courage is acting in spite of fear, Cala. I don't have the power to remove that from you, but I can say a life paralyzed by fear isn't worth living. And, much to the same, a life with no concept of fear is a life that will end swiftly."

Letting her palm linger on the flush cheeks of the hollow, eyes of Saiko continued to keep their sights on him as she blinked and asked a question of her own in response to his desire to train.

"Sure, I can help you train: but what specifically do you need training in?"

After he spoke about the desire for shinigami to hunt hollow, it was clear it may just be an overall thing regarding his training. Speed, defense, energy, techniques; a lot went into training, and with his fear, it was apparent enough that anything would be good for him. So, she'd speak truth to that reality.

"Hollows do hunt shinigami, and shinigami hunt hollows. Yet, humans do the same to other weaker humans and all races devour the weak. That is why people with good hearts, strength and the desire to want to do good in this world must train themselves to protect those that can't. That is an ideal world to me."

Now pausing for a moment, Saiko placed her other hand on top of Cala's other as it was apparent he was scared, and she moved her head forward.

"Knowing who you are prevents these thoughts from taking place. Anyone can be a victim, so it's better to ask questions first and be prepared for anything. I know my heart is good, so I have to have faith I will be able to respond well. Do you understand?"

Cala simply stared back into Saiko's eyes as they thought on her statement on bravery. It... did not sit right with Cala. They were not, absolutely could not, be a brave person and yet if acting in the face of fear made someone brave then.... they would be the bravest Arrancar in the whole universe. At least this half of them would be at any rate and, perhaps, an Arrancar that truly embraced an aspect of Fear but... at any rate, they instinctively denied this conclusion of hers. Whether it showed in Cala's wide, trusting eyes however was another matter entirely. They did not shake their head, did not seem scared of the explanation even, they simply... struggled with it. Her second statement, however, resonated perfectly with Cala. They had, after all, based their entire being as a normal Menos around being fearful, about shoving away, losing or otherwise manipulating emotions to where they could be useful so using fear was definitely something they were comfortable with.

As Saiko explained the inherent nature between Shinigami and Hollow Cala's expression tensed a tiny bit. Their eyes growing just a bit wider into an almost.....searching expression. Their pupils gently moving back and forth as they stared deep into Saiko's eyes, searching, delving deeply into those beautiful blue orbs as brilliant lavender pools reflected her appearance. So lost was Cala in those eyes, in that moment, that when Saiko's other hand touched their own and she moved her head forward they.... did not quite startle, necessarily, they could not be afraid of her. But they did inhale a sharp, almost hiccupping breathe. Even as Saiko asked if they understood, which Cala did intrinsically, they still had one question that burned their tongue like flaming coals. A question branded into the front of their mind, squirmed against their lips, and they swallowed it down only after a moment of concentration.

They could not bring themselves to ask it, not here, not yet and possibly not ever.

All Cala could bring themselves to do for a moment was gently squeeze her her hands, close their eyes, and nod slowly; Almost in a sleepy fashion. After a moment and once Cala had something closer to their bearings they would command their Fade to coil up the supplies and form into a sort of bandolier around them at the shoulder and hip. Placing the supplies on their back before tightening around Cala as they adjusted their hands to lace their fingers with Saiko, took a step forward, and would begin to lead her forward gently. Pulling her along softly with both hands as they internally decided to never tell her the reason they had made that Fade bandolier was not to make carrying their supplies easier.... but because they couldn't bear to let go of her hands in this moment.

"I-I do, I do understand.... a-and if being brave is doing something even when you're scared th-then... then we should keep going. At least for now. See more sights and talk more. I might be scared b-but I'll do my best. I think I even have an idea of what kind of place we can camp!"

In that moment Cala had a world of worries, ones that went unsaid for now, but also in that same moment they were, by Saiko's definition, brave enough to put them aside and forge ahead blindly with only trust in her. Whether it was a mistake or not remained to be seen.....

Cala was like a moth to the flame of Saiko's soul as the woman witnessed his passing glances at her. The squeeze of his hand and the gentle nodding of his head were enough to tell the observant hybrid that he was indeed enjoying himself. Even as fade started gathering all the supplies they needed, the hollow felt as snug as a bug in the embrace of the mistress of glum's palm.

"Aren't you comfortable?"

She'd poke fun at him, gently poking his nose before giggling and using that same free hand to stroke his head as they ventured deeper into the great beyond of the outdoors. It was nice for her to relax, take a stroll and get her mind off the stress of everything for a moment. This closeness, this touch, and being in the present is what life was about to the woman. So, a quiet and content sigh left the lips of Saiko as she turned over to Cala and pondered just what he had in mind for their trip.

"Oh? You have someplace you want to show me? By all means, take the lead and show me the way. It's good to say you are being brave and taking us along this path, Cala."