Chapter 6: Tutoring and Graduation

Written by Greatkingratt88.

Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima. BLEACH is owned by Tite Kubo. Me? I own JACK SQUAT.

Oh god, I am SO sorry for the delay. College classes are a pain, and not to mention my old laptop charger broke on me but now im done with college, Im done till January 12th. Im going to take my time and ENJOY this break of freedom. I sure hope you all do too, you deserve it!

Thanks for taking your time to read this chapter, I hope you enjoy reading it.

Also, please feel free to leave a review. I would REALLY appreciate it. Reviews are HUGE motivator's not just for me, but for my writer as well.

"Step back! Everyone step back, ten yards at the least! The seventy-third bout between Scarlet and Sentry is about to begin! The combatants will face each other, await the signal, and then fight! Today's choice of weapons: bare fists and legs! No cheating- no low blows, no other weapons. Whoever steps outside the circle loses! Otherwise, the fight goes on until one participant can no longer stand- or we run out of time, and god help us, we don't want sensei chewing us out again!"

Resolutely, Erza slammed her fist into her palm. It sounded so weirdly formal, for something that had been almost intimate at first- her and Rod, settling their differences with violence. Rod had had a bone to pick with her from day one, and likewise had she not tolerated his rough, domineering attitude. So they'd taken it outside- during weekends, or free time, they d taken to battling it out, man to- well, violent person to violent person. And naturally, news of it had spread like wildfire, because students are among the worst gossips in the known universe. And nothing attracts a crowd, it seemed, like a good old fashioned fight. Already at the second time they fought, there had been an audience- one that had only grown since. People were bustling about, quietly murmuring with the excitement that doing something that was against the rules did- because this was against school regulation most decidedly, but Erza suspected the teachers knew already- with the gleeful anticipation of spectators knowing they were about to witness something that was dangerous, but not for they themselves.

The chatter, though, was as naught for Erza, as she faced Rod Sentry with a grin. He himself stared back at her, his eyes looking as deceivingly tired as ever.

"Is it seventy-three already?" He drawled, balling his fists and stretching his fingers out again, preparing for the fight to come. "Sod me, don't time pass fast? What s the score now?"

"Thirty-one wins for me, thirty for you- and twelve draws." She balled her fists, taking a stance, and the crowd cheered as loudly as it dared without possibly alerting a teachers.

"Then let's even the score out, why don't we?" Rod said, his voice low. He raised his fists, legs spread wide and arms raised high. Quickly he lunged forward, striking rapidly, jabbing, feinting. By now, it was a dance Erza was well accustomed to- she knew his style, and he knew hers. He had been a good training partner, in a sense- where Erza was tall and statuesque, with a full form and strong muscles, Rod was short and wiry, and fast. Fighting somebody smaller was quite challenging- you'd think the bigger reach would have been an advantage, but as he had once explained, a short fighter has nothing but experience in fighting people bigger than themselves.

He pushed her back, slamming a roundhouse on her that she just barely blocked with an arm- and quickly, she threw his leg off, counterattacking, jabbing him in the face-

And of course, he dodged, somersaulting backwards, landing on his feet easily. It was always like this- neither quite able to really hurt the other hand to hand. Erza had an edge with a sword, he had one in shunpo, and in hand to hand they were evenly matched.

Rod spat, and gave her a condescending glare, gesturing for her to come at him. A provocative gesture, of course- not something she d be goaded by. But charge she did, striking rapidly- Rod, of course, countering flawlessly, patiently waiting for an opening. And finally, through her barrage of blows, he found a way past her guard, slamming a fist into her gut. She recovered quickly, before it could become a sequence, and stepped back. And once again, Erza found herself smiling.

It had long since stopped being about teaching a bully a lesson, really. Rivalry was the official reason for this, but somehow Erza just found this fun. So far, Rod was the only one in her year who was anything like a match for her, and training with him was stimulating. And something about the bruises she got, despite the ache that came with them, felt satisfying.

And Rod had turned out not to be such a bully after all. He d been rough and blunt, but it had seemed his problem was that he just didn t like rich people very much- coming from a poor district, that was understandable enough. And somehow, after over seventy fights, she almost thought of him as a friend. She doubted he knew that, but it was still true.

Erza was snapped out of her reveries by a fist connecting with her face, followed up by two hard jabs into her ribs. She collapsed onto one knee, and only barely caught an axe kick coming down. Roaring back at Rod, she pushed back, overbalancing him. Quickly getting up on her feet, she bull-rushed him, keeping him off balance. Rod went into a roll, getting up on his feet- but Erza was there, head-butting him. He staggered back, but quickly came back with an uppercut- and Erza went reeling back. And now the two of them were again battered, bruised, and equally as stubbornly set on continuing until neither could move.

Or when the bell rang and recess was over.

And, as it happened, that exact thing happened, the bell sounding resolutely. Erza was almost ready to keep going anyway, but Marisa- who kept saying this was barbaric, yet seemed to be there every time- and Sensuke each put a hand on her shoulder.

"C'mon." Remon said, still standing at the sidelines. "I know you got yer blood fired up- but it ll ignite and burn if we re late for Shimura-sensei's class."

Huffing, recovering herself a bit, Erza stopped moving.

"Damn." She said, resting her hands on her knees. "Was it twenty minutes already?"

"Twenty-five." Marisa said, sighing. "Which means we really have to hurry, or you ll spend five hours in detention."

That thought did not appeal to Erza very much, and she stood upright. Still, time issues aside, she took a look at Rod.

"Another bloody draw, huh?" He grumbled. "You're damn persistent, you redheaded little shit."

Erza grinned. Once she might have seen that talk as insult, but by now it was just jargon- rough talk without much meaning. "Who're you calling little, midget?" She shot back, holding back a giggle. "I'll take you on any time, you know that. You'll get your chance to break even."

Rod nodded, and there was the smallest hint of a smile on his face, the corners of his mouth just barely up-turned. "We're on for this weekend, then?"

"Wouldn't miss it. Same place?"

"Same place, same people- an of course, this is the time where you bite the dust once and for all."

Erza laughed. "I heard that one before- but well, I have to go. Later."

Hurrying off, Erza followed Marisa and Sensuke, rushing off to class. She only barely made it, and got a strict look from Shimura-sensei, but it was worth it.

After a demanding kendo class, with Shinpachi- Shimura-sensei- shouting orders to everyone and everything, it was time for kido. And while the lack of a drill sergeant-esque teacher was welcome enough, everything else about the subject was still alien to her. After over six months, she could still only just barely form a basic kido- and the higher level incantations were murder. It was like trying to do quantum mathematics while juggling porcelain plates, which made it all the more irritating to see Marisa and Sensuke both handle it so easily. She was not of a jealous kind, of course, but she hated the feeling of helplessness before the subject, of feeling like she couldn't actually do something. That had been the harshest thing- she had always had confidence, confidence in herself that she could do whatever she wanted to. The logical part of her brain knew, of course, that this was not literally true- but still, she'd come here with the notion that she could really do this, really come through.

And kido was grinding that confidence to paste. It was so subtle- it required you to master reiatsu control, and warp that into another kind of energy entirely, and then re-structure it into a large, complex spell. Her teacher, Aizen-sensei, kept telling her she was flooding too much energy into every spell- that she had what it took, that it was her basic control that was the problem. Which wasn t really reassuring. She was good at using a sword- sometimes she wished that s all she d ever have to do

"Scarlet." The calm, gentle voice of Aizen-sensei snapped her out of her self-pitying daydreaming. "Please demonstrate hadou number four." There was a range, set up in the classroom, for the occasion of target practice, though most of their current tutelage was focused on the basics of controlling kido. They had only just hit the actual spells themselves. Number four was byakurai, a simple lightning spell. Simple, of course, being a relative term

"Yes, sir." She said, standing up. Immediately, the people close to her moved away- her inability to control kido had become known by now, and a hadou could be quite volatile. Irritated, she pointed her fingers at one of the targets, and summoned the energy. Carefully, she visualized the magic she had to control, building the spell up

"Hadou number four: Byakurai!" She said boldly, and for a second she felt the energy flow out from her center, into her arm and out through her finger and for an instance it just seemed to work-

And then, of course, it went badly. The lightning discharged, around her finger and back into her body. She cried out with pain, held back a swear, and instinctively tried to force the energy away. In an instant, it again focused in her finger-

And then it exploded.

It wasn't the most dramatic of explosions, just a small puff and a bit of smoke, leaving her with singed eyebrows, but it was enough to knock her off her feet and back into her chair. God damn it!

"That will do, Scarlet." Aizen-sensei said, and she could hear a few sniggers. Everybody liked to see others fail, it seemed, especially if it was somebody who was already doing well. "Next: Akajima-kun." Her teacher called out a new name, and she watched with frustration as the student fired off a rocky, but functional, byakurai spell. She clenched her fist.

Class eventually passed, at an agonizingly slow pace- in the typical irony of time spent doing things you hate always passing slower than time spent doing what you love. But eventually, class was dismissed, and the students walked out in as orderly a fashion as orderly could be without being a rushed mess of people eager to be elsewhere. Waiting for most of them to walk away, Erza finally stood up, frowning. Kido was a disaster- and after this, there was history, literature school life was hard. Annoyingly hard.

"Miss Scarlet?"

Erza blinked, and turned around. It was Aizen-sensei.

"Yes, sensei?" Great- now she was going to be chewed out, too.

"I noticed you re not doing well, well."

Yes, definitely a lecture. Great.

"Yeah." She grumbled. Might as well get it over with.

"How long is it till your next class?"

She blinked. "Half an hour, sensei."

Aizen-sensei smiled. "Well, if you don't object, I think I could use some of that time getting you up to speed. How about it?"

"You mean, uh"

"It's up to you. But I am confident that one on one, I could help you work out whatever kinks there are."

Well, it didn t seem like a lecture, at least; that was always a plus.

"Sure. I mean, yes, sensei."

"Come with me." He said, walking back to his podium. He took a seat beside it, pulling out a chair. He gestured for Erza to sit down. Uncertain, she sat down at the front row, not sure what to expect.

"I know you're strong." He said. "You are a very capable person, Miss Scarlet- as I am sure you must think too."

"I don't"- She said, lamely trying to protest he teacher's praise."

"There's no shame in admitting to talent." He said dismissively. "But likewise, there's no shame in admitting to your weaknesses, to recognizing your limitations- and asking for help in overcoming them. Does that make sense to you?"

"S-sure." She mumbled. "Yeah, sure, I agree. That makes sense."

He nodded. "I think it does. So, what do you think your problem is?"

"Well, uh" She hesitated, thinking a bit. "It's when I try to form my magic-"

"No, not that." He shook his head. "It runs a little deeper than that. The question is, what is your problem, student?"

Erza frowned. Was this going to be a lecture after all? "I don't understand-"

"When you study. What is it that stops you? I had a look at your other subjects- you excel in hand-to-hand and kendo, and you score passable grades in literature and history. I don t believe you are a simpleton with an aptitude only for violence. Which, by deduction, means that something else is holding you back. In my experience as a teacher, it s often in your head. Now tell me, am I wrong or am I right?"

Erza sighed. "It's hard. And I m not used to this kind of hard. I mean, it s really, really hard. And when I try and fail, over and over, it feels like I can't do it." She trailed off.

"And then you have a vicious circle, where you keep failing because you lost the motivation to try." Aizen-sensei nodded. "I've seen this before, believe me. And some students are just that- failures. Roughly four percent cannot graduate. And Kido is one of the major subjects a student must pass- and to be honest, in the state you are now, you will not pass."

Erza took in a sharp breath, for a moment feeling that sensation of a stone dropping inside her chest, of defeat-

"But I don't believe that is you." Aizen-sensei said gently. "I believe you have everything it takes. You just need a little shove."

"A shove, sensei?"

He nodded. "This is a fine school, but it misses some of the finer points of teaching. Like how each student has their own learning curve- yours is slower in this subject, and the course moved a little too fast. What I think you need is as much time as it takes, just mastering the basics- manipulating the flow of your reiatsu, controlling your power output. That is what you have to master first."

"Yes, sensei." She nodded. "That would be very nice."

"I will give you a simple exercise." He said, and reached into his pocket, retrieving a small ball of some kind. "This thing absorbs spiritual energy. I want you to practice with it."

"Um, how?"

"It is simple. Here, take it." He put it in Erza s hand; it felt cool to the touch. As soon as it came in contact with her skin, it started to glow a pale blue. "It takes on different colours depending on the amount of energy it takes in." He explained. "Right now it s blue, meaning you're giving it a lot of energy- you re leaking reiatsu all over the place. Concentrate, and stop all excess flow."

Firmly closing her fingers around the ball, Erza focused, forcing her reiatsu to stop- like turning a valve, slowing the flow of water. It was hard- like holding your breath while jogging. Still, she forced herself into control, and the ball changed colour, glowing with a dull white.

"That's good." Aizen-sensei said, nodding approvingly. "When you can get it to glow with a faint white, it means it's getting a minimum- no more than you need to expel to keep breathing, for your heart to pump blood through your veins, for your organs to work. That is what all officers do, to conserve energy."

"It's- it's-" Erza grumbled, her control slipping, reiatsu once again pouring out, colouring the ball an angry red. "Its bloody hard!"

"That colour means you re giving it as much as it can handle. Be careful not to break it- it can only absorb so much." Slowly, the burst faded, and the blue colour returned. "Once you ve learned to keep it at a white for five minutes straight, let me know?"

"Five minutes." she groaned. "Holding it for just a few seconds was like having the wind knocked out of your lungs! Sensei."

"We all started with just a few seconds." Azien-sensei said, smiling enigmatically. "And we all- well, everyone who matters- can do it at will, all the time. It may seem impossible to you now, but with a few years of practice it becomes second nature."

Erza gave him a skeptical look.

"You'd be surprised how many people have given me that look." He said calmly. "And you'd be surprised how easy it comes with practice."

"Yes, sensei. Thank you." She mumbled.

"It is my responsibility as a teacher to look after the needs of all my students. If a student fails, and I haven t done all I can, then I am to blame as much as the student. And that I couldn't stomach, Scarlet. "He looked at the clock. "But I think you've friends waiting, a lesson to go to- and undoubtedly short people to pummel."

He smiled again. Apparently, her run-ins with Rod weren't that secret.

School life went on, as it had for the last few months. She continued to be at the top of her class in kendo, and though Shimura-sensei was harsh, her skill there seemed undeniable. She was naturally strong, too- nobody in her class seemed to have energy like she did. She didn't feel like she learned much of anything new, though- more like re-learning and rediscovering things she already know from when she was alive. Likewise, she did well in hakuda- she was fast, could hit hard, and move with agility, and though she wasn t number one in her class, she did well enough to have cause to feel some small measure of pride. Her more scholarly subjects were passable, in no small part thanks to Marisa, Sensuke and Remon- the latter of which had a surprising aptitude for literature, something which had saved her more than once. In between studies, friends and fighting, time was flying away- and before she knew it, almost a year had passed. And, despite often feeling like she had no idea what she was doing, she was slightly wiser and slightly more experienced.

"So I gotta ask," Sensuke said, snapping Erza out of her reflective daze, "how s kido working out?"

The four of them were sitting around lazily in the school garden- and a bit of good lazing was welcome in the hectic life in school, with so little time for anything but studies.

"Mmm?" She said, shaking her head. "Kido is still rather difficult- it s hard. But with Aizen-sensei's help, I get by. Sort of. I'lll maybe possibly eventually somehow get a passing grade. I think."

Marisa smiled brightly. "Of course you will. We all have subjects we re bad at-"

"Speak for yourself." Sensuke said, and though his cockiness was mostly jest, part of it wasn't.

"Yours would be modesty and humility." Marisa said acerbically. "Anyway, disregarding the pompous fool-"

"Hey!"

"You have to admit, she isn't wrong." Remon said sardonically.

"Yeah, but still." Sensuke said, looking sour- but he wasn't fooling anyone. Self-deprecation was a comedic staple for him.

"Anyway, we'll all make it. We've all got decent grades- a smirk passed Marisa s lips; her grades were far above decent - and we're doing well. We've come a long way since we first got here."

"We've" still got years left. Erza said contemplatively.

"Yes." Marisa nodded. "But we have to be confident. We have to believe we can do it, you know?"

Sensuke opened his mouth, and Marisa said,

"Except you. Be less confident and stop believing in yourself."

"I would if it were possible, but sadly I just ooze competence and self-confidence."

"And delusions of grandeur." Remon cut in.

"A bit of delusion never hurt anybody!" Sensuke exclaimed, chuckling.

"Say" Erza muttered. "Say, did anyone of you hear your sword talk yet? I mean properly- not just visions and weird echoing voices."

"It would be strange if we did." Sensuke said. "I mean, we're first years. Building a connection takes years. Well, so sensei says at least." He shrugged. "I know a little about this, since noble my dad has one, and it took him two years to learn its name, and that was considered fast. Very few people can sync with their weapon really quickly- only a few geniuses here and there."

Erza sighed. "I guess I'm just impatient. It s like I want it all and I want it now- I want to be strong, you know?"

Marisa nodded. "I know. We all want more but there s no shortcuts. As far as I know, at least."

"I'd take one if I could." Erza grumbled. "I swear, I never had to worry about this when I was alive."

Literally speaking, of course, it was true- but her memory was coming back more and more, and she remembered glorious fights as well as more tedious chores, so she hadn't much reason to complain. Then again, complaining was such a good way to vent.

"It'll come." Remon said curtly. "Little by little- like that ball you keep fiddling with."

"Yeah," Sensuke said excitedly, "is that thing working out at all?"

"I'd probably be out of kido if it weren't." Erza said plainly. "Aizen-sensei, he's pretty nice."

"And handsome." Marisa added, smirking. Sensuke shot her a look. "What? It's the glasses. Glasses are cool."

"Eeww, gross." Sensuke said, laughing. "But yeah, I guess it s true. Most teachers here are more like Shimura-sensei- and he's one of the nice ones."

"If you call nice making people do forty pushups if you miss one sword stroke." Marisa said.

"Don't be sour because swords aren t your strongest suit." Sensuke said cheerfully.

"Whatever." She grumbled. "I still think those pushups should be considered a crime against students everywhere."

Erza laughed. This- just this, sitting around with people she could call friends, people she had gotten to know, it was what she had missed the most. She still remembered in her mind the comrades she had used to live with- some, albeit, more clearly than others- but she had moved on and found friends. And as irksome as school could be, this life was becoming worthwhile.

Another place, another time. Elsewhere, in the dreamscape, Erza stood once more before the mountain. She had come here many times since last- not enough to count it in dozens, but enough to make her familiar with the place. No longer did she stay half-awake, seeing the landscape at the same time as the room she slept in. No longer did it come only when she was asleep- by now, she could sit down, close her eyes, concentrate and enter. She was careful not to do it when she was short of time, though- these reveries could last for ten minutes, half an hour, or four hours, and there was no telling when she would wake up. Sometimes she wondered if she d ever be trapped in there for good, drawn into this ethereal, surreal world forever. But even so, she didn t hesitate. She had a mountain to climb.

It had begun to be almost a ritual. She would climb, begin to climb that rocky, remote path, riddled with rocks and roots, steep and sharp and strange. She would climb- grab a rock, propel herself forward, walk in defiance of the howling wind and climb upwards. She'd look at the tree, and though it seemed she wasn t getting that much closer, she'd see the path behind her and realize she was almost a hundred feet up.

And then she'd fall off the mountainside, an unexpected gust of wind knocking her down, or a loose rock, or treacherous ground giving in under her feet, or a root tripping her. And she'd fall, hit the ground, feel the pain of her bones breaking for just a second before waking up again.

And each time, she could see the footprints she had left there before, and each time she saw to it that she got one step further, just the one step, than she had before.

Today was no different. Resolutely moving forward, she walked the path, heaving herself forward. The path ended at a rock s face- no matter. Erza climbed the rock, struggled against its almost flat surface and the howling wind, got up, and saw that the path was still before her. Walking further, she trod carefully over a few roots. Seeing loose, gravelly ground, she spurted forward, jumping at the last second as the ground gave out under her. And just barely, she grabbed hold of the Cliffside, slowly hauling herself up. She moved forward, quick as she could, avoiding one obstacle after another. Then, as she set her foot forward in new territory, she slipped, sliding to the side of the path, just barely hanging on. She felt herself sliding, the skin of her hands scraping against the rough ground.

"God damn you!" She shouted angrily. "I'm not giving up here, you hear? You'll tell me who you are- if I have to tear down this whole mountain for it!"

"You're so brash."

It was a voice this time, an actual voice- gentle and soft, like a woman's. The shock of hearing it made her slip, and quickly she lost her grip.

"No no no!" She shouted. "Shit!"

And then she lost her grip.

And then she fell.

And then she hit the ground, blood oozing from her body as it cracked against the ground.

And then she sat bolt upright in her room. Damn. She was getting closer- so much closer than ever before. But these trials they were a hell of a pest, they really were.

But she had heard a voice. Not a disembodied thought, a command right into her very mind, but an actual voice spoken right next to her. She made a fist, clenching her hand hard, feeling her nails dig into her palm. That mountain- she would find her way to the top, one way or another. She d find that dead tree, find the name of her blade. It wasn t just necessary, it was essential- and doable. The mountain, though difficult, was not an insurmountable obstacle. It was a stepping stone- to harmony, strength and power.

And some day, she'd get there.

And in what felt like the blink of an eye, nearly five years had passed. Days came and went, meals were had, classes were taken, much, much reading was had, and more than a few bruises exchanged with Rod- but somehow, in what felt like no time at all when she looked back at the time spent, here she was, five years older, sitting again in Aizen-sensei s classroom just after class. They had move on to real spells, learning and executing higher level kido- and just barely, Erza got by. Thoughtfully, she twirled the ball she had received years earlier, now glowing an even, faint white. What had felt like holding your breath at first was now just a minor nuisance- controlling her reiatsu output took effort, but nowhere nearly what it used to.

"You've come a long way, Miss Scarlet." Aizen-sensei said, smiling lightly. "Didn't I tell you you would make it?"

"Because of your help, sensei." Erza said, tossing him the ball. He caught it, looking mildly surprised.

"I just gave you a shove." He said dismissively. "A small push in the right direction."

"Aye, once a week, most weeks, for several years. Now that's what I call a small push , sensei." She grinned.

"Are you being cheeky, Scarlet?"

"Wouldn't dream of it, sensei." She said, unashamedly pretending that cheek and her were as removed as the sky and the earth. "But I really have come a long way, haven't I ?"

"I remember a ruffian who came here, with not a care in the world for history or literature, years ago."

"And I'm still a ruffian by any standard, but I passed those subjects." She said proudly. "Seventy percent on history, would you believe that?"

"You can go far when you put your mind to it. It's just that your mind is usually put elsewhere."

"Isn't that the truth but at least I m still top at the class in kendo and hakuda." She stood up, stretching. "Anyway, what will I be learning today, sensei?"

"Well, I don t think I can teach you more. You pushed yourself- you learned how to form kido, how to control your spiritual energy and make it into magic, even how to perform the more complicated spells-"

"Barely."

"-yes, but still. You ve done it, and I don't think there is much more I can teach you. You re not a kido type to begin with- you'll carve your path with the sword, more likely, and you can come far enough with that."

"Yeah, I guess that's my way." She shrugged. "So I guess I'll just say, thank you , sensei. I wouldn't have passed without you."

"Don't mention it. He said, smiling lightly. But you better prepare- the graduation ceremony will come soon."

"I have time."

He shook his head. "You're young- you should spend your time with your friends. All this pesky, dusty teaching is over and done with- you should celebrate, not waste more time with your teacher."

"I wouldn't call it wasted." Erza said seriously. "It was hard, but I guess I'll miss it, a bit. You've been a good teacher, and now I won t see you anymore."

There was a look on his face, odd and with slight amusement, and he said,

"Somehow, I am confident we ll see each other again. Run along now- I too have preparations to make."

Not being one to not take a hint, Erza began walking out. "Bye, Aizen-sensei."

"Farewell, Scarlet. Until we meet again."

"Until then!"

And with that, Erza walked out. What a strange five years it had been since she came here- she had been ripped from all her friends, everything that mattered to her; she had been alone and she had kept going. She wasn t one to toot her own horn- but in the privacy of her own mind, she felt proud of herself. She had a goal, she was moving forward, getting stronger; she had made new friends. And maybe, given what she knew about shinigami duties, she could one day find her old friends again.

A thought occurred to her, as she walked slowly through the school corridors. Could she possibly come back, one day, go back to her old life and stay there? She knew the Gotei wasn t exactly approving of what would effectively be treason but it might be worth it. Maybe.

Or maybe not. She shook her head; no point in getting ahead of herself. And for once, her thoughts weren t interrupted- this time she saw her friends coming, all in high spirits. Remon, for once not looking sour, just smiling slightly. Marisa, looking happy in an unrestrained sort of way, and so was Sensuke. Joining them, she walked towards the hall where the graduation ceremony was going to be held.

"Time really flies, doesn't it ?" She mumbled.

"Speak for yourself." Sensuke said cheerily. "These were the slowest five years ever but they do feel shorter than you'd think, don t they?"

"Well, who cares?" Marisa said. "Soon, we'll be out there- once we ve applied for a division, we ll get to be real soldiers, finally carry that sword."

"You like it more than you thought, no?" Remon chimed in.

"Maybe." Marisa said cheekily. "Anyways, let's hurry- we ve got a ceremony to attend."

The hall was jam-packed when they got there, all students in their year standing in lines facing a podium, in the largest hall in the school. There was a preference for pomp and grandeur, Erza had noticed, especially in really official contexts. This, of course, was the most official context possible in this school, and more than a few teachers seemed pleased- very pleased. Up front they all stood, and among them she could see Shimura-sensei and Aizen-sensei. After taking their places, and waiting for ten-odd minutes, listening to the murmurs going through the crowd, there was suddenly a rustling, and one teacher called for silence- very loudly, at that. All heads, one by one, turned towards the entrance of the room, and there were a few excited whispers before the crowd finally went silent. Erza looked to where the rest looked, and saw it- walking through the door was the unmistakable figure of Yamamoto Shigekuni Genryuusai, whose picture she had seen in books and portraits all over the school, the venerable founder of the Gotei and its commander in chief, the highest authority under the central Forty-Six. He carried a cane- a very large one, and wore a haori with the symbol for one on it. His head was bald, but his beard- which was enormous- compensated for that considerably. The entire crowd watched him in awe, as he walked up to the podium, flanked by two ranked officers. There was something about him- he had the face of a very old man, but nothing about his posture or aura showed anything like weakness. This was the commander-in-chief, the greatest of them all, about to speak to them. The students looked in fascination, and Erza couldn t help but feel impressed.

Yamamoto took his place at the podium, standing tall. He opened his mouth, and spoke with a voice that was gruff, strong, and very ancient.

"Students of this academy, I salute you." He cleared his throat a little. "You have no doubt been told much about glory, duty, honour, obedience and valour in your five years here. And make no mistake, you are about to become fully fledged soldiers of the Gotei Thirteen, where you will be expected to lay down your lives in service of order, balance and tradition at a moment s notice. This is no job for weaklings- it is a privileged position afforded to the strong men and women with the determination and strength to die for what is right, but much better live for it. Rest assured, your lives will not be thrown away by the dozen- but you must always be aware of the risk that comes with your positions, the price you pay for the privileges you receive. You are all special- the strongest, the brightest, the most skilled, selected for a duty no others can perform. Yet at the same time, each and every single one of you is nothing next to this eternal institution; every one of you little more than a straw in a field. You have power- so most of all, you must be humble. We live to serve- I have laid down all my life in servitude of this place, and so will you. Those of you who follow this are already heroic- and those who don t will be remembered as cowards and traitors. Walk forward through your new life, boldly and decisively, and do what you know is right, and good things shall come your way."

He looked around the room, scrutinizing the students. "Congratulations." He grumbled. "You are all shinigami now- soldiers of the afterlife and mediators between this world and that of the living. It is a charge that is sacrosanct- so do not fail it. Never fall short of doing your best!"

He slammed his cane in the floor, and as one the students cheered, shouting in approval. Erza joined in. It felt good. She was part of something bigger- for now, at least. These five years had moved her forward; all that dull kido hadn t been for nothing.

With that, Yamamoto stepped down from the podium, and began to walk out. The students kept cheering until well after he left, and all but complete chaos erupted for a few minutes. A good, cheerful kind of chaos, relief of worries pent up for years letting go, moving on.

That night they celebrated, like all of the students did. The four of them went out, and while Erza wasn t one for heavy drinking herself, she indulged in a few- just a few- drinks of sake. They sat, they danced, they talked and cheered and sang, and danced some more, forgetting everything else. Sure, there would be troubles ahead, there would be a long road full of struggle and strife and mundane-ness as well as horrors, but here and now they were just merry, in high spirits, forgetful of everything else. That was the way of things, Erza supposed- you just had to forget sometimes, just be happy to make life feel good.

After a few hours, Erza decided to take a break from the loud little bar they d been in. She needed fresh air, and just a little time by herself- to take it all in, being a shinigami, having come this far everything. She walked out, leaving the noise behind her. It was a comforting noise- one of happiness and joy, one that reminded her of home, but you could have too much of a good thing. She looked up at the sky, feeling the cool night breeze against her warm skin. It was a clear night, and the stars were shining down on her. Even here, the celestial bodies could be seen how much like life wasn't this afterlife, after all!

She turned her head and looked, and down the street she saw a familiar figure- it was Rod, sitting on a bench with an apathetic expression. Feeling curious, she walked up to him.

"Why're you sitting out here?" She asked. "Shouldn't you be in there, with the rest of us?"

"Can't be arsed." Rod mumbled.

"Sure you can." She said resolutely. "Come on- if there s any time you shouldn t be by yourself, it s now. Come on in, celebrate with your friends."

"What friends?" He grumbled. "I'm not" He gave her a strange, somewhat hostile look. "you."

"Well, that s a pretty non-specific insult." She said cheerfully.

"I mean all friendly. Popular. I'm alone, and well, could be worse."

Erza sighed. "It cant be helped, I guess." Quickly, she grabbed Rod by the wrist, and pulled him up, dragging him with her.

"Hey!" he protested. "God damn it, what do you think you're doing?"

"Taking you back in. If you ve got no friends- then you ll just have to celebrate with us. We're not bad people, even though we re popular ."

Rod broke free, jerking his hand away. "I don't want pity, Scarlet. Don't you-"

"That's good, because I m not giving you any." She said, cutting him off before he could continue. "I just don't think you should celebrate alone. Come in, have a drink- you don t have to talk, or laugh, or be cheery if you really don t want to. You can even keep that frown that makes people think you re an unrepentant thug. Or you could lighten up, and have a good time. The choice is yours. Either way, you re coming with me."

He blinked. "You're not letting go of this, huh?"

"Nope!" She said cheerfully. "So are you coming, or am I gonna have to beat you into the dirt first?"

"Fuck off." He mumbled. "Fine- but only for five minutes."

"Five minutes will be fine." She said, smiling brightly.

That night, they all drank and were merry- and at the end, one of the loudest singers were Rod himself. It was a good night.

In the following week or so, there was some down time- nothing but free time for a whole seven days, which was more than she d seen in a long time- five years, to be specific. The official purpose was choosing what division to apply for, and the administrative process took time- enough to leave them with more free time than they d known in a long while. Most took the time to relax, to sleep in and have fun, getting applications out of the way as quickly as possible. Erza was not quite so hasty- she had taken a look at the various divisions and specific duties they carried out. On the whole, most of them were pretty similar, although there were subtle differences in how each squad seemed to approach their duty. Second division, for example, had a frightening amount of talk about mortality rates and readiness to die for the cause; third division s papers seemed to emphasize humility nothing major, it seemed. She had been indecisive, going through all of these papers- there was a form to fill out for each division, information about the divisions, and all of it of course was written to sound more appealing than it probably was and nothing really caught her eye until she saw division eleven.

It was a simple description- fight, fight and fight. Make your way with the sword. Obey the captain, take flak from nobody, be strong. It was simple, but honest. She asked a few others about it, and had gotten some terrified responses- eleventh was known as a division of punks and hooligans, unrefined thugs who cared only for battle.

It reminded her a little of Natsu, and Fairy Tail. There were so many happy-go-lucky hooligans there, so many people who fought their hardest, wrecked things along the way, and lived life as they pleased. It might not be exactly the same but it appealed to her well enough. In the end, she made her choice; papers were filed and arrangements were made. She would officially become part of division eleven- if she was accepted.

All in all, only one thing remained. They had all graduated, but to truly be a shinigami, one had to do some shinigami-ing, and that was the final rite of passage: her entire year, divided into teams, would go on patrol in the world of the living- and potentially face real hollows, under the supervision of an officer. The week eventually ended, and as it came, she found herself, along with her class, standing before four instructors, real soldiers of the Gotei. They were heading out. Finally, she and everyone else would test what good their training was.

Heh, I don't think ANYONE saw Aizen not only being a Tutor for Erza but also the main reason she passed the academy. There was little to no doubt in my mind Erza would do well in the other areas of soul Reaper combat, but Kido? That's a bit more complex.

Oh, and dont worry, This isn't We'll be seeing our Glasses wearing douchebag for a while. Why?...Im not telling!

But hey, she finally did it, She passed the academy! See, I told you we wouldn't be here for too long. I hope we did it in a way that did tis mini arc justice, as well as entertained you.

Also, I don't think the fact that she's going to squad 11 really surprised anyone. Its the perfect place for her.

Please though, stay tuned for the next chapter...Shit gets real.

Thank you so much for taking your time to read this, and DOUBLE thank you if you leave a review. Reviews are my greatest source of motivation and are highly appreciated.