Chapter 5: School days and a Mysterious Voice

BLEACH is owned by Tite Kubo, Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima. I own...Nothing. :(

Things got a bit crazy so I didn't get the chance to update as soon as I wanted to. My bad.

Once again, Thanks to GreatKingrat88 for writing this and thank YOU, dear reader for deciding to read this story. I greatly appreciate it.

Please review and leave comments on what you think so far. Reviews are HUGE motivators!

The next day, early in the morning, after having had a quick shower, Erza and Marisa got into their robes, and headed down for breakfast. She'd been worried that she might not find her way, but everyone was up at the same time, heading the same direction- to a rather dull- looking dining hall, where a simple, healthy meal of rice was served to each student. Some, she noticed, wolfed it down- people she recognized as being from a poorer district. Erza ate quickly too, but moreso from an eagerness to see what came next. What would be next? Well, there was a schedule- handed out in twos to each room, one for every student. A quick look revealed a broad list of subjects: First introductory kendo, then an introduction to kido, then history, then literature- seemed even a martial school put emphasis on less hands-on subjects, and though Erza did not groan, she wasn't really fond of the prospect of going through dull ledgers either. And what else? Hand-to-hand combat, introductory flash step, strategy… it was a blur of subjects, most of them military-sounding- but not all.

Gobbling down the last of her rice, Erza prepared herself mentally. She was not a stranger to hard work, or at least she thought so- checking her memories, fractured as they were, it seemed that yes, she was not adverse to it- but she was definitely looking forward to some subjects more than some others.

After breakfast, the entire group of first years- about a hundred people or less, she estimated- were divided into classes according to schedule. Erza noticed Marisa, Sensuke and Remon in her class, and hurried up to meet them. Remon was quiet, and Erza recognised the look of somebody who was not a morning person- but Sensuke smiled happily, with an expression that she was sure was at least half grounded in an appreciation for her bust- but no matter.

"Ready for your first class?" Marisa said with restrained excitement. "I have to admit I'm not much of a sword person- but I suppose I'll have to learn."

"I look forward to it." Erza said happily. "When do we start?"

"In five minutes." Sensuke said. "So I think we better hurry. Um, does anybody know the way?"

"I do." Marisa said smugly. "Right this way."

Soon, having walked hastily through a number of school corridors- Erza wanted to stop, take it all in, but there was no time, and she supposed she had years to do that anyhow- the four of them, along with another sixteen or so students found themselves standing in a big, spacy classroom, where mats were stacked against its walls, nearly covering them. Up front stood stands and stands of wooden swords; it gave every impression of a place for training. Erza smiled to herself. Good.

"What're you so cheerful about?" Remon murmured grumpily. "Does the idea of violence get you that happy, eh?"

"You could say that." Erza said, her smile growing wider. It wasn't just the two of them- there was an unquiet murmur over all the class, students talking in hushed voices to each other, reassuring each other… it was an air off uncertainty and insecurity Erza hadn't felt before- so many people, so unsure what to make of what was to come next.

The murmur died down very suddenly though, and Erza looked to the front of the class- a man had come in, wearing a shinigami's uniform. Their teacher? She had a closer look-

"Good morning, class." He said curtly.

"Good morning, sensei!" The class said as one, Erza included. She knew that voice!

"I am Shimura Shinpachi, your kendo teacher." Their teacher said, and Erza felt glad. It was nice, having some point in this school life in this first, alien day of school that was not so strange. Listening intently, she watched as her teacher- Shinpachi- kept talking.

"I understand quite a few of you have experiences with violence. That perhaps, some of you may think of yourselves as less than strangers with a blade. I am here to tell you that any such thoughts are childish fantasies. Before a real sword, before a zanpakutou, you are all children- even those who might have used a sword before. Is there anyone who would disagree?"

Perhaps there were, but there is a natural order of things that emerge in any place at all like a classroom, and that includes a tendency to not, for the life of you, talk back to a teacher, because that was just a recipe for making a fool out of yourself. The class was silent, and Shinpachi- Shimura-Sensei- looked satisfied.

"I thought so, yes. I imagine you're wondering when we start actually swinging swords around- but before we even get to the wooden ones, I have a question that needs answering. That question is: why are you all children before a sword?"

No-one dared answer.

"Come on." Shinpachi said patiently. "Surely at least one of you can answer? I'd be very disappointed if I had to answer myself."

Hesitantly, Sensuke raised an arm. The bravado from before was still there, a slight self-assurance- but reduced and minimalized, so different from before.

"Yes, Mr. Shinyu?" Shinpachi said.

"Um," Sensuke said, trying to sound confident, "it's because we're all very… inexperienced?"

"Not good enough." Shinpachi said dismissively, and Sensuke sunk back. "Anyone else? Does anyone here know the point of a sword- not just that it's a long, sharp stabbing implement made of metal, but what else it is?"

Erza raised her hand. Peers be damned, this was the one part she was supposed to be any good at.

"Miss Scarlet?"

"A sword…" She began, trying to find the right word. "A sword is a long stabbing implement like you said, sensei. But it's because it's a stabbing implement that it means more."

"Oh?" Shinpachi said, with a slightly intrigued voice, which, in authority figures, Erza had come to recognize as a tone meaning 'you're on thin ice'.

"It means the potential for serious harm. With a sword, I could cut your arm off- or your head. And if I don't know how to use it, I might. If I don't respect the power a sword has, then I could end up hurting or even killing other people- or myself. It's not just about the sword- it's about the creed you have to follow if you're dedicated to using a sword- not just fling around a piece of metal… I think."

Shinpachi smiled. "You're a bit thick, miss Scarlet- but as far as answers go, it certainly trumps no answer at all."

Erza, feeling pleased, smiled. She knew what a sword meant, of course- probably better than most. Vocalizing it had been a bit of a challenge; it was so intuitive for those who knew it (she certainly hadn't learned a creed- her mentors at Fairy Tail, as far as she recalled with her still-fractured memory, had just taught her skill and safety), but she seemed to not have made a complete fool of herself. Feeling satisfied, she listened to Shimura-sensei giving a short speech on that exact topic, on how none of them deserved to use a blade until they learned to respect it. Then, he paired them all up, reading one name after another, finally ordering the mats placed at the wall to be placed at the floor. Finally, everyone was handed simple protective gear- pads for the chest and shoulders, and a simple helmet- and a bamboo practice sword, a shinai

"There will be plenty of time for you to learn the basics," Shimura-sensei explained, "but for now, I would have you show me the grasp each of you have. How you hold a sword- how many of you know how to fight, and with what kind of form. The rules are simple- each pair will mock fight for five minutes, and each hit will score a point. You may only use your swords, nothing else. After five minutes pass, I will change your pairs around, and repeat. While you fight, I will observe who knows what."

It was simple enough. Erza took her place on a mat, having been matched up with some tall, lanky, awkward-looking young man. He gave her a clumsy bow, which Erza reciprocated, before immediately swinging his blade down like a club. Erza, though knowing how well she could handle a blade, hasn't wanted to be arrogant, to assume she would naturally win over anyone in the class- but deflecting the blow by redirecting its momentum, then counterattacking for a quick point, that was painfully easy. For five minutes they sparred, over and over, one quick point after another- and when the five minutes were over, the score was thirty-five to three. Looking demoralised, the young man seemed relieved when the pairs were rotated.

The next sparring partner was much the same story- inexperienced, Erza's form and balance was too much. Twenty minutes later, Erza had bitten through five partners, each time with similar results- if she'd kept score, it would probably have been several hundred points won to a few dozen lost.

Finally, Shimura-sensei called for them to stop, and there was a collection of groans, sighs, and huffs, as a whole class of sweaty, bruised students took their helmets off. It was rigorous work, swinging a sword around- even if it was fake.

Shimura-sensei nodded. "I think I've got a good enough idea of where you are. Almost all of you are clueless- but we'll see about changing that. From here on out, none of you will spar each other until you know basic form- how to hold a sword right, how to take a stance, how to use the right conduct… there's a lot of knowledge to hammer in, and hammer it I will."

He looked around the classroom. "Of course, I said almost everyone. Miss Scarlet, you've made a mess of everyone you fought."

Erza laughed nervously. "I just did my best, sensei…"

There was a bit of a murmur through the class, and Erza thought she heard some words- about her, about the rumours of hollow-slaying and warlord-beating and how it had to be all hot air and exaggeration but maybe not…

"Show me what you're capable of." Shimura-sensei ordered.

"Sir?"

"Take that shinai, and come at me. Standard rules, best of five."

"You want me to… fight you, sensei?"

"Did I stutter?"

"…all right." She murmured. She wasn't so sure about this- win or lose wasn't the issue, but everyone was looking at her. She did want to fit in, and this wouldn't be a great way of doing so. Still, she couldn't very well say no to her teacher either. Slowly, she walked up to a mat, taking a stance. Shimura-sensei stood opposed to her. They both gave each other a quick bow. Then, Erza leapt forward, striking quickly. She had no idea how strong or how skilled he was; there was no reason not to go all out. One, two, three, four- she hit, hard and fast. He countered each one- just barely, but he blocked her strikes. Still, on she pressed, unrelenting. She had to take care not to hit too hard- these bamboo swords might break.

She thrust forward with a stabbing motion, trying to hit- but then he made a small movement, redirecting the force of her blow to the side. Erza cursed inwardly; that was a sure sign he'd counterattack. Immediately, she pulled back, narrowly avoiding his thrust. Quickly, he lunged forward, swinging from the side. She brought her shinai up to counter- but it was a feint. Quickly, Shimura-sensei pulled his sword back and to the side, and thrust forward, striking her in the chest.

"That's one." He said. "Again."

Feeling somewhat annoyed, Erza took a stance again. He was pretty good- well controlled movements, practiced strikes…

Again, she took the lead, striking at him with a series of quick, strong blows. There were murmurs from the class, people looking impressed; all eyes were on her. Trying her damnedest to be faster, to outmaneuver her teacher, she struck again and again- stabbing, slashing, as viciously as a blunt, wooden blade would allow her.

He was fast, though, and seemingly prepared for her every move. She wasn't breaking through- his defense was solid. Had this been real life, with real swords, she'd have had room to be creative, to find new ways to cut, new angles- but this was a kendo classroom, with strict rules and limitations. Grunting with frustration, she thrust forward, hard- but Shimura-sensei side-stepped, let her shinai glide forward, guided by his own, and then took a step forward- right past her guard. Quickly, he raised his shinai and brought it down. Erza tried to move back, to avoid- but the shinai came down, hitting her collarbone.

"That is-"

"Two, I know." She shot back. "Again."

Shimura-sensei nodded, and the two took a stance, bowing to each other. This time, Erza opted not to be the aggressor- let's see what he could do. Prepared for his assault, she looked him in the eye.

Shimura-sensei, for his part, gave her a curious look. There was a slight pause, where neither moved- then he moved forward, striking quickly and with precision. Carefully, Erza parried each one, looking for an opening- counterattacks had been how he'd won the last two rounds. He thrust forward, then followed with two quick, hard strikes, then another thrust, all in the matter of three seconds- it was fast paced, and exhilarating in a way. Finally, she decided to try and make a move. Anticipating one of sensei's thrusts, she smacked it aside, quickly stabbing forward, shinai in both hands. Shimura-sensei moved, though- bending slightly backwards, moving to the side, just barely keeping his balance, and her strike missed. Quickly, she took a step back- and in just the right time; his counterattack was fast. Defending a series of sharp blows, she was hard pressed to keep up. Three, four, five, six strikes- finally, she hit back, intent on breaking this chain of attacker and defender.

And it might have gone well, hadn't she hit hard enough that her shinai broke under the stress her strike placed on it. It snapped clean in half, and Shimura-sensei stopped himself quickly.

"A pity. We'll get a new one."

"No." She shook her head. "I lost, anyway." She bowed, still holding her broken shinai. "I look forward to learning from you, sensei."

"Very well." He said. "You did decently for a beginner." There was a look in his eye, and she suspected the 'beginner' part wasn't quite honest.

"Thank you, sensei."

Turning and addressing the class, Shimura-sensei said,

"That will do for today. Tomorrow, you will practice form until you bleed- so be grateful there's no more for now, and prepare yourselves for some hard work. Dismissed!"

As Erza followed the rest of the class out, she was caught up by Sensuke and Marisa. The whole class was murmuring, talking loudly- and all eyes were still on her.

"That was amazing!" Marisa said cheerfully. "You actually kept up with sensei- and he's a seated officer!"

"I lost." Erza said dismissively.

"Of course you'd lose!" Sensuke exclaimed, sounding partly baffled and partly excited. "He's an officer- he's been out there, fought hollows, trained his form, learnt the name of his sword, the whole thing. You- you're a student, and you gave him that tough of a time. That's…" He trailed off, shaking his head as if in disbelief- a very cheery sort of disbelief.

"Umm…" Erza said, unsure of how to put it without sounding like a braggart. "I'm just good with swords. I used them all the time when I was alive."

"So…" Marisa said, looking curious, "are the rumors all true, then?"

"Depends on the rumors, I guess."

"They say you set fire to the bandit lord's castle, slain all his men and bathed in their blood, and after that you butchered a legion of hollows with your bare hands." Remon said sardonically, coming up from behind, and Erza wasn't sure whether he was joking or whether somebody just had a very vivid imagination.

"Well, I didn't do that." She said, shrugging awkwardly. "But I did beat a hollow to death once. I'm strong- maybe not the strongest, but I'm doing all right, I guess."

"You'll make officer in no time at this rate." Sensuke said, grinning. "We'll all be officers together, I'm sure of it- and you'll probably be our captain."

"I don't know about that…" She mumbled.

"Everyone was looking at you, though." Marisa said. "You looked really cool up there."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, shall we?" Remon cut in. "Before we talk about captainship and such, we actually have more to do than attend our first ever class. Right now, we need to be heading to-" he took a quick look at his schedule- "introductory kido. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?"

Kido, as it turned out, wasn't very fun. Their lecturer, although not a very harsh man, had a way of boring her terribly, mainly because it was such a difficult subject to grasp- summoning energy from within? Using it as magic? You'd have thought magic would have come naturally to her, but this was… very different. It involved, apparently, manipulating your own reiatsu… and frankly, she felt clueless.

"Do you understand any of this?" She murmured to Marisa, while helplessly flipping the pages of her great big book on kido. What they had to do here and now was simple- just summon enough energy to make a small glimmer of light.

"Oh, sure I do." Marisa smiled. "Just… focus, and try to visualise this light you have to make. Then, you just force some of your energy into it, imagine it as a light- and there you go."

"I still don't get it." She groaned.

"It's not that hard." Sensuke said cheerily, a bright light shining from the tip of his finger. "It just takes a bit of subtlety- like this."

"Exactly." Marisa said, and from her palm a much brighter light flared. Sensuke looked a little dejected "It doesn't take a lot of energy- I had a look at the kido spells we're supposed to learn, and from what I can gather, step one- this one right here- is the most difficult. Once you get past that, it should be fine.

Erza focused, focused, closed here eyes and tried looking into herself and-

And suddenly, her sleeve was on fire. Frantically putting it out, slapping at it with her hand, Erza resisted the urge to swear.

"Well," Marisa said with a quiet sigh, "hopefully you'll be fine at some point in time."

The school day went past slowly, and the many new things were almost overwhelming at times. The last lesson before lunch was history, a subject Erza did not care for very much. Once they had sat down in the classroom, waiting only for the teacher to arrive, she sat wondering what the point was- would history make her better at swinging a sword? Casting a spell, or connecting with her sword? She hadn't had much schooling in life, as far as she could remember- Fairy Tail had had its instructors, but not much in the way of teaching non-practical subjects. They had been very… hands-on, so unlike this formal, almost sterile environment of learning.

Erza was snapped out of her daze by the arrival of their teacher- a short, old woman with white hair kept in a knot, standing at the teacher's podium. The class stood to attention, listening intently.

"Good day, students." She said, her aged voice ringing across the room surprisingly clearly.

"Good day, sensei!" They all shot back in chorus.

"Before we begin," she started, "I will tell you something you need to know as students. You may wonder what use this is? To sit here, listening to an old crone drone on about things past? When you could be swinging swords! But let me tell you, children, our past defines us. A sword-swinger without knowledge is but a brute, a machine for violence and nothing more. What separates a soldier from a thug is his knowledge and wit- and you cannot do without your history if you wish to become soldiers, because our past defines us. Without learning of the past, we can never learn from its examples, or from its mistakes. Understood?"

There was a chorus of 'yes' from her audience, and the old woman nodded, opening a book. "We'll start before the founding of this Gotei Thirteen…"

Erza, though still unimpressed with the subject, listened attentively- well, not inattentively at least. It was a fair point.

And finally, after a grueling hour of introduction, it was finally time to eat. Following the flow of students walking their merry way, first years as well as upperclassmen of various kinds, she came into a large dining hall, where food was being served. Settling for a simple dish of fish and rice, she took a seat next to her new friends, cheerfully digging in.

"Maaan…" Sensuke groaned. "I hate literature. Like, I seriously hate it with every fiber of my being."

"Don't be lazy, noble boy." Marisa shot back with a smirk. "We all have to pass it- and if it's too difficult, then that means you have to try harder."

"Books are a stupid invention anyhow." He grumbled. "It was probably invented by you nerds to keep normal people down."

"You are an oaf."

"And you are-"

Deciding to draw a line between playful banter and genuine insult, Erza said,

"That's enough, I think. I don't like it either, but it's part of the package. Besides, we've got Marisa to depend on, don't we?"

"Oh, thanks a lot." Marisa said sarcastically, but there was a smile on her face. "Why don't I just write all your assignments for you?"

"That would be fantastic." Sensuke said snarkily, chewing down his rice. "I expect a five hundred word essay on the importance of the poet Sakabuta had on the era of rama-dama-ding-dong." He grinned.

"For the dream that was never made real, as a dream it was a beauty to have…" Remon mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Sakabuta." Remon said, shrugging. "You ought to try it some time. He was quite the wordsmith."

"Ugh." Sensuke said, making a mock expression of disgust. I am surrounded by nerds. Neeeeerrrddss."

"Me too?" Erza said, smiling.

"Oh, you're the worst of all." Sensuke said, nodding eagerly. "You're the sword nerd, whose encyclopedic knowledge of swords reaches epic proportions. Real shinigami don't need that!"

"Yes, I'm sure charging into battle without in-depth knowledge will work quite well." Marisa said, half laughing.

"I'll have you know I'm a proud sword nerd, and I intend to be for as long as I live." Erza giggled, scarfing down the last of her rice.

Time really did fly, quite fast once she had got accustomed to school life. Her first day was over before long, consisting mostly of introductory courses, and the next two months went by in the blink of an eye. There was theory and practice, there was magic and swordplay, there was hand-to-hand combat and literature. In some places she did well- swords especially- and in some she did poorly, like kido and history… but luckily, she got by with a little help from her friends. And in turn, she helped them when she could- showed them a good move or two, how to hit at just the right time, how to intimidate and how you could solve conflicts with more than just violence. Although that last one, she had to admit, was not her field of expertise.

And before she knew it, two months had passed and she was still keeping afloat, still passing as a student. She continued to impress in Shimura-sensei's class, and she was dimly aware that people talked about her often. Maybe she was 'popular'; she didn't pay it any mind if she was. She had enough on her mind to be part of school drama. There were boys, of course- lots of them, all seemingly interested in her- or her looks, at least.

One event stood out among the others. Less than three months after she had first arrived, between struggle and excellence, between classes and filling her head with knowledge till she felt like it might burst, there was one night when something extraordinary happened. Erza had been laying in her bed, having taken an early night- done with her studies, she had only wanted a good night's sleep.

But for whatever reason, sleep had trouble coming. She lay in bed, twisting and turning, and no matter the position, no matter how hard she relaxed, she wouldn't quite fall asleep. It was a strange and frustrating affliction to deal with. She felt disturbed by the smallest things- by a ray of moonlight shining through the window, by the sound of somebody walking past in the corridor, by her covers feeling too warm... there was no end to it. And even so, she felt tired, but sleep wouldn't come.

Three hours later, Erza was wide awake. But, she slowly realized, this didn't feel very much like being awake. She tried moving her body- but her arms and legs wouldn't respond, and she felt confused- unable to even gather her thoughts. She was not asleep, she was sure- she could still dimly see the moonlit room, Marisa sleeping across on the other bed. But at the same time, this... state she was in was almost trance-like. She knew not for how long she lay there, or when it changed- but some time later, maybe a minute or an hour or several, she saw something like a vision. Through the plain, ordinary view of her dorm room, lit by the moon, she thought at the same time she saw something different. It was nothing but a blur at first, like gusts of wind moving dust about, but slowly it took the form of a wasteland- a dirty, arid landscape ravaged by dust storms and rocks, tumbling about in the air as if they were nothing but twigs and straw. And in this non-vision, in this non-landscape, so clearly visible yet at the same time so transparent to the vision of her room, she saw a road. No, road might be too generous of a word- a messy, worn-looking and downtrodden path, going up a hill.

And on this path she saw herself, wearing the same rags she'd had once she arrived in the soul society. And this Erza stood still, gazing out into this surreal non-landscape, ravaged by a silent, unending storm.

Well, standing still was no way to be. She willed herself to walk forward- could she? No, she could- this dream vision of herself obeyed her command, walking forward step by step, bending against the wind, and she could almost feel it; feel the merciless sand and dust whip her face as she moved. Yet at the same time, she was laying still in her bed.

Focusing on the non-world, she moved forward, looking upward. There seemed to be an end to that hill, and on its top were something else- a twisted, dry husk of a tree, defiantly standing tall in the face of the storm. And, she noticed, neither rock nor dust stirred around it; the air seemed completely still. It seemed like the right place to be. Struggling against the wind, vision-Erza walked up the hill, step by step. But no matter how long she tried, no matter how many steps she took, the hill seemed ever as distant, insurmountable, unattainable. Renewing her efforts, Erza forced herself to walk faster, moving onward- that hill would be respite from the storm, and though the pain from it did not feel quite real, it was pain nonetheless. But the hill refused to come any closer still, and Erza stumbled, sinking to one knee. Angrily, she cried,

"What is this? Where am I?! What do you want?"

If there even was a 'you' behind this, she didn't know- but it seemed there was, for the next moment the entire landscape shifted. The winds intensified, and the hill turned into a mountain- a huge, black mountain, with only the small, winding path leading to its top. Erza looked at it with surprise, anger- and resolve. She would climb that mountain if it damn well killed her! Getting up to her feet, she moved forward- but then the vision began to flicker, to fail.

"No!" She cried. "I'm not done!" She raised her fist to the heavens, as if to intimidate the world itself.

And then she heard it, resonating through her entire being.

CLAIM ME.

It was not a spoken word; she hadn't heard a sound. It was not a whisper or a shout, or a giant, booming voice from the sky. It took her a few seconds to even realize nothing had been heard but the howling wind- there had to be sound, right?

But there hadn't been. Just the realization that something, somewhere in here, had wanted her to come find it.

"Fine!" She shouted. "I will-"

And then she sat bolt upright in her bed, a film of sweat coating her body. It took her a few seconds to collect her mind- to see that she was back here, at school, and not in some barren wasteland. She touched her face, her hair, as if to reassure herself of its reality. What trickery was this? It had seemed real- very real, and unreal and surreal but somehow also real. It was nothing like a dream, not so hazy and unclear.

But then, like a dream, her vision began to slip from her memory, and she desperately tried to hang on to it, burning into her memory the image of the mountain and the tree- but so much slipped away from her, and there was nothing she could do. Letting out a subdued, frustrated cry, she slammed a fist into the wall.

She didn't get much sleep that night.

The next day, at lunch, she approached Marisa. It had been a strange experience, and she wasn't too willing to share it- it had felt oddly private, but at the same time she wanted to process it. Torn between ignorance and privacy, she finally said,

"Um... have you ever had any weird dreams?"

"I dreamed I was a ten foot tall man in a tutu, commanding the legions of hell against a crowd football players the other day." Marisa said bemusedly, lazily chewing on a piece of fish. "But maybe that wasn't what you were thinking of?"

"No." Erza said, shaking her head. And slowly, taking pauses to try and find the best words, she recounted last night's experience- the surreal non-dream, the non-landscape, the mountain...

"...and then I 'woke up'." Erza finished. "It was freaky as hell- do you have... any clue, or am I going mad?"

"Well, it does sound a tad insane." Marisa replied casually. "And a month back, I wouldn't have had much to say. But..."

"But..."

"I had something like that just two weeks back. I was by myself, at the bottom of an ocean, surrounded by stone pillars- and nothing made sense. I looked in the books, but didn't find anything. For a while, I thought I was getting schizophrenic. So I asked a teacher, and... he told me it's a sign of your sword trying to communicate with you. A first encounter."

"Really?" Erza said, nodding thoughtfully. She hadn't had any idea how that worked- it had started to worry her, even.

"Yes, really. I had that same dream two more times since- each time a little different. There's something in there, and I have to chase it... I think."

"Why didn't you say?"

She shrugged. "It felt... weird. And in some way, it was my... my something, you know? My own."

"I felt the same." Erza nodded. "For me, I think I have to climb that mountain... I just hope it won't mess with my sleep cycle."

"Well, don't worry- apparently, it takes a long time for things like those to really take root. You just have to work on it whenever it comes to you."

That same day, that very same lunch, Sensuke was sitting with Remon, and a group of his classmates. Though he wasn't quite the arrogant brat he'd been when he entered, arrogance coupled with youth makes for a special kind of pride that takes a long time to subside- if it ever does. Which was why Remon was listening disinterestedly, as Sensuke talked about their future- his own most of all. It didn't help, of course, that Sensuke had good grades overall.

"It's as I told you, man," Sensuke said, drinking some water, "once we get out of here and make officers, we'll be set for life."

"If we live that long."

"Sure we will." Sensuke said confidently. "You and I, pal, we'll go far- before you know it, we'll be captain and vice-captain. I'll be captain, obviously."

"I shudder at the thought." Remon said, his tone a tad acerbic. "The only way they'd let you that far would be if you somehow managed to- no, forget it. There's probably nothing you could do."

"Pshaw!" Sensuke said playfully. "I'm talent, good looks, hard work- the whole package! How could they not want us high up? Don't worry, pal- when I make captain, I won't forget you." He laughed heartily and loudly, and Remon, despite himself, chuckled along. Boisterous and cocky as he was, Sensuke had an air of charisma to him.

"Yup, before you know it we'll be riding a gravy train, as they say- the future's bright, man! You have to be optimistic if you ever want to get ahead in life, you know."

"Aye, get ahead…" Remon murmured. Then he noticed a figure behind Sensuke…

"I bet you the four of us will get top of the class- best there is." Sensuke continued enthusiastically.

"If that's the best the Gotei can produce, then I feel sorry for them." A cold, derisive voice came from behind. Sensuke turned around, seeing a fellow student- a short, young man with short black hair and a mean look on his face, lean and mean.

"Who're you again?" Sensuke said, only half paying attention.

"That's Rod Sentry from one of the other classes." Remon said. "Maybe you best keep quiet-"

"That's Rodrigo to you, Lupon." Rod said, once again fixing his gaze at Sensuke. "So, making captain, are we? Acing the class?"

"…I'm doing well so far, yes." Sensuke said, sounding a little deflated compared to before.

"Well, fine and dandy then." Rod said sarcastically.

"What's your problem?" Sensuke shot back, standing from his seat.

"Problem is, I'm looking at a self-inflated bag of shite. Keep your mouth shut, rich boy- some of us actually work hard to be top of the class, and you're not one of them." He turned away.

It might have ended there, and no harm would have come to anybody. But Sensuke was prideful, young, and a little foolish, and in his head he saw no way to let that insult stand.

"Oh, that's rich!" He sneered. "That's rich, being scolded for having ego, and then you look down on me the same exact sentence. I don't know who you think you are, but you're a hypocrite with no manners!"

There was a glimmer in Rod's eye as he turned around to face him. "I just love hopped up little nobs like you." He said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "Never had to work a day in your life, barely out of your nurse's skirts, and you got the gall to act like you're actually worth a dime."

Sensuke balled his fists, and looked indecisive for a moment. "You little-"

"You don't have the balls." Rod said dismissively. "Sit back down and eat your lunch, nob."

Frustrated, angry, Sensuke stepped forward, fist raised. He moved to strike- and then, in a flash, he found himself thrown to the floor, his arm twisted behind his back, Rod sitting on top of him with a knee into his back.

"Top of the class in hand-to-hand, nob." Rod said calmly.

"Get off me!" Sensuke growled, squirming. There was a stir now- one by one, all students were turning to look at them. Remon took a step forward, ready to give a hand if things went too far.

"Maybe you better stop there, Sentry." He said cautiously.

"You want some too? Bloody try it, I dare you." Rod shot back.

"Knock it off!" Sensuke shot back, trying to free himself, but he was firmly stuck in Rod's hold.

"Where's that bravado from before, eh, captain?" Rod spat. "You're just like the rest of them- full of hot air, but if you so much as poke, you pop like soap bubbles."

"Then why don't you try and pop me?" Came a voice, authoritative and strong. Rod looked up- it was Erza Scarlet, standing over him.

"I know you." He said calmly. "The hot shot of class two. A real damn tiger with the sword, they say. The legendary slayer of a legion of bandits and a host of hollows."

Ignoring his mockery, Erza retorted,

"And you are a bully."

"Bully!" Rod sneered, letting go of Sensuke, and standing up. Sensuke grumbled, rubbing his arm as he stood up.

Rod was noticeably shorter than her- but there was an intensity to him that, to the objective eye, made them seem not so different.

"A bully! Let me tell you something about bullies- bullies are the nobs sitting on top of society, with all the money in the world and none of the ails of those what live in poverty, acting like they're better than you 'cos they were born with things we weren't. That's his lot to a tee."

"I don't care." Erza said resolutely, crossing her arms. "You hate the rich? Cry me a river. I see one man pushing another man down, for no other reason than that he can. That's something bullies do- throw their weight around because they're strong."

"Rich." Rod said coldly. "'Specially considering the one what threw the first punch was him, not me."

Erza looked at Sensuke.

"All right, I did…" He groaned, still rubbing his wrist. "He was being a dick, though."

"Well, that doesn't matter." Erza said, turning her eyes back to Rod. "You didn't have to do that- but you did. I'll tell you this much- if you're going after my friends, you're going after me. I don't have a lot of clearly laid out principles, but that's one of them- bully my friends, and I'll come down on you like a ton of bricks."

"Intimidating." Rod said dryly. "Hell, I'm all for a bout here and now, if you really want to throw down."

"Maybe I do." Erza said, cracking a knuckle.

"Maybe either of you don't." Marisa said, stepping up. "Are you both mad? If a teacher sees you fight, then the both of you will be cleaning toilets for a month. Stop being childish- we've got classes to attend, anyhow."

"…fair point." Rod admitted, shrugging. "If you're up for it, I'm all for settling this later- away from prying eyes."

There was an excitable murmur from the crowd of students watching- Erza was strong, everybody knew it, and before now nobody in the student body had challenged her like this.

"Maybe." Erza said. "That all depends on you- if you're going to keep acting like this, then maybe we will."

"Whatever." Rod said, turning his back. "I've got kido to go to now- and I think you lot have some place to be as well, where you'll no doubt squander your talents. See ya." He gave a lazy, sarcastic wave, and walked out.

"Well, that could have gone better…" Remon murmured.

"Damn…" Sensuke murmured.

"Sensuke." Erza said. "You did throw the first punch?"

"Yes, but-"

"No buts- no fighting unless you have to. Period."

"…yes ma'am." Sensuke said, and she couldn't decide whether he sounded defeated or sarcastic.

"Let's go, people." Marisa urged. "He was right- there's actual studying to be done."

With that, the four of them- walked out, and slowly the crowd dissipated. It was agreed later that it had been quite a good show- but not quite so good as what would come in time.

And so, Erza's first months in academy passed. She did make friends, and though she struggled, she managed to, on the whole, not mess up completely. Unbeknownst to her, she wound up being what is known in the mysterious society known as student body as being "popular". Strong, decisive, and charismatic, Erza made for herself a space where she was looked up to by some, appreciated by many, and disapproved of by few. It was the Fairy Tail way, perhaps, or just her personality- but Erza began to like it there. Though danger lurked just around the corner in the form of hollows and soldiery, it seemed like it was an eternity away- and for the time being, she enjoyed life at the shinigami academy. It was simple, full of hard work, and that was no more or less than she needed to be content.

Well, there you have it, chapter 5. I know this didn't seem like much happened, but I wanted to just give you an idea of what the academy is like for her. Don't worry, 2 more chapters and then we're going to have her officially join the gotie!

Now, as for Shinpachi defeating Erza, I understand a lot of people will be upset about this. However, like it was established earlier, Erza lost a good portion of her memory. Because of this, her skill with the sword isn't what it used to be. If it WAS, she would have won no problem. But as of right now, she needs to get back to her old level of skill.

Kido was an area I don't think she would do well in, at least, not at first. Will she get better?...I'm not telling, you have to read more to find out!

And before you ask, yes, I DO know what we're going to make Erza's Shikai and Zanpakotu spirit like. By all means though speculate on what it might be.

Anyways, im glad you took your time to read this and I hope that you enjoyed this chapter.

Please leave a review though. Nothing Motivates a writer to do better and to write more than a review. We can only imporove this story if we're told what problems there are.