10 Marshmallows

When Aizen came back, it was already dark. He saw Ayumi and Shimei sitting in front of the campfire. He came from behind and placed his hand on their shoulders.

"Oh? Are you two having a nice date?" Aizen teased.

Both Ayumi and Shimei shuddered when they felt his cold hand on their shoulder.

"We are not on a date!" Ayumi replied with an annoyed expression and moved away from Shimei.

"We couldn't find you, so we started our training session without you." Shimei said. He was slightly disappointed that he couldn't train with Aizen today.

"I was practising in seclusion what Ayumi taught me. You are an excellent teacher, Ayumi-chan. I even managed to create a new jutsu." Aizen said. A soft smile decorated his face. He was genuinely grateful to the girl.

*A-Ayumi-chan!? Does he like me?* She thought with sparkling eyes. A bright blush appeared on her face.

"New jutsu!? What are you waiting for, show us!" Ayumi replied not hiding her excitement. She felt happy for Aizen that he could finally use ninjutsu.

"She's right, you know. Don't make us wait!" Shimei said.

"Fine, fine. I will show you." Aizen answered and formed a seal with his left hand.

He extended his right hand. A small ball of fire appeared in front of his index finger as he pointed it toward the sky.

"Fire Release: Morphing Fire!"

The ball of fire abruptly expanded and shot forward. As the orb of raging fire flew toward the sky, it was growing larger and larger, but then the ball began taking the shape of a Phoenix.

The fire that resembled a legendary Phoenix flew eighty meters high. Then, the flames swiftly began to intensify.

*BANG!*

The bird that was made out of fire exploded in a bright flash that illuminated the sky.

"With the help of this jutsu, I can adjust the shape and intensity of the fire that I create. What you just saw was an example. However there are downsides to using this jutsu, it's quite tricky to control and requires vast reserves of chakra if you want to use it repeatedly. It's not the most powerful jutsu, but it's not that bad either since it can be useful in almost any situation." Aizen explained.

Both Ayumi and Shimei were sitting by the campfire with their mouths agape.

"That was beautiful! I wish I could do that!" Ayumi said.

"You want us to believe that someone who couldn't use chakra, learned how to use it and came up with a brand new jutsu in a few hours? Do you think that we are children? " Shimei asked.

"That's precisely what I think. Believe what you want." Aizen answered and smirked.

Aizen sat down by the campfire and warmed his hands by extending them towards the flame.

"Tsk, sometimes you remind me of my old man." Shimei said as he rolled his eyes.

"Do you know what always comes with campfire nights? Marshmallows! Let's roast them!" Ayumi said and took out a bag of marshmallows with a bright smile on her face.

*They may seem mature for their age, but deep inside they are still kids, even if they are being trained to become professional killers.* Aizen thought.

"How could I refuse?" Aizen answered, stood up and found three long, thick sticks. He kept one for himself and distributed the other two to Shimei and Ayumi.

They received the sticks. Ayumi opened the bag of marshmallows and pierced three marshmallows with her stick, then passed the bag to Aizen who did the same and handed the bag to Shimei. The bag of marshmallows made a full circle when it came back to Ayumi.

They happily chatted and ate marshmallows until it became too cold outside. A cold wind extinguished the campfire. They went to the tent to rest in their sleeping bags.

-----

"Good morning! Wake up!" Ayumi shouted.

Aizen slowly opened his eyes and lazily crawled out of the sleeping bag.

"Hello." He answered with a forced smile.

"Your hair looks like a mess, but it suits you." She smiled and left the tent.

Aizen took a tiny mirror that was lying beside Ayumi's sleeping bag and saw his reflection.

*Maybe she's right? If I wore glasses, I would look just like the original Aizen when he was a captain.* He thought.

Aizen yawned and left the tent to see what his temporary companions were doing.

"Lazy bun, you really know how to sleep! You should start training since the semifinals will begin tomorrow." Shimei said with an annoyed expression.

"Some people can afford to be lazy, while other people will never become strong even if they train all day." Aizen answered and glanced at him with a soft smile on his face.

"Geez, can you stop arguing and eat your breakfast?" Ayumi asked.

"Breakfast!?" Both Aizen and Shimei said in unison.

"I woke up early to pick up some mushrooms and bring water from the river. We are having a mushroom soup for breakfast." She said with a broad smile as she pointed at the cauldron that was held above the campfire by a construction made out of thick metal rods.

They both inhaled the smell of the boiling soup, and with smiles on their faces, they sat next to the campfire.

Ayumi distributed spoons and clay bowls full of steaming soup to the boys. They quickly started eating.

"Ayumi, you're a great cook!" Shimei said and gave her thumbs up.

"I would be happy to have you in my team when we become genins." Aizen said as he continued eating.

"Y-you really think so?" Ayumi asked. A sweet smile formed on her face.

"Of course, who would want to eat canned food when you can have something fresh. You aren't eating?" Aizen added.

"I already ate, thank you. Finish your breakfast so we can start our training." She answered.