Chapter 10: Calm Confrontations.

The spring days brought a great sense of peace to the academy following the sheer weirdness of the winter. Everyone made their way through the rest the quarter with little incident of note. Ichigo never returned to give another lecture and many of the changes he had made soon became normal and were swallowed up into the abyss of routine. Soon it was very hard to tell that most anything had happened at all.

This was a curious realization for Hinamori. She had expected the captain to be full of vigor; over eager to return to the real world and hunt down those responsible for the attack on his students. She had expected the fifth squad to be up in arms seeking war and every opportunity for violence. None of that happened. Ichigo returned following his last disappearance as if nothing had happened at all. He had returned to his paper work and building closer relationships with in his squad and with the other captains. He acted like he had already solved the problem and whenever Hinamori asked him if he had he simply shrugged his shoulders and changed the conversation.

He lost interest in the academy shortly afterwards. While Ichigo still demanded weekly reports on everything that happened he made no comments on them and made no changes to the school. Not that he needed to, Hinamori had to admit. The academy was functioning very well and the students seemed to be making real progress, not just in their studies but towards being real Death gods. All and all the world seemed to be honestly peaceful these days. And Hinamori remained so blissfully ignorant right up to the point when the firing range exploded.

It was not too terrible of an explosion. It was just great enough to be noticeable and just loud enough to snap her head to the left just in time to see the blue flame leap out of the building's windows. She reached the entrance before they had flickered out of existence.

Inside she found a half dozen or so men scattered across the ground missing their eyebrows and with scorch marks on their clothing. Almost all of the targets in the room had been incinerated and the roof over head was starting to crack. Only one target still stood in the midst of a narrow sliver of undamaged ground leading backwards to her captain who was standing perfectly still with an outstretched arm and singed clothing. He had a very curious look on his face as everyone else in the room looked at him dumbfounded.

"What the hell just happened?" Hinamori demanded of a fallen man next to her.

"The captain came in and was inspecting us when suddenly he asked me what the incantation was for Demon art number 33. I recited it to him perfectly and he then said it back to me and fired at one of the targets. Then there was a very bright flash of light and now I'm back here against this wall." The soldier explained a little bewildered and confused.

"Uh-huh," Hinamori responded as she took her eyes of him and onto the captain who was now looking at his hand quite perplexed. "Can you make it to the Fourth squad on your own?"

"I think so."

"Then I suggest you take the rest of the day off."

"Thank you mam."

Hinamori made her way over to Ichigo very slowly as the men left on their own. When the room was empty save for her and him she looked at him very seriously and took a deep breath.

"A friend of mine once taught me a trick for Demon magic." Ichigo preempted her, "He said all you had to do was picture a very large dark circle and imagine throwing yourself into it. I guess real spells are more difficult than that."

Hinamori paused for a bit taken aback by this, she then closed her eyes very tight as she wrapped her mind around what he had just said. "No it doesn't work like that at all."

"I figured."

"Your Soul Slayer is a magic type, how can you not know how even most basic magic works?"

Ichigo shrugged, "Zangetsu doesn't need any control, you simply feed him power and he releases it as it should be, and I was never educated in Demon magic, there wasn't any time for it."

"So why try and figure it out now?" Ichigo didn't respond, Hinamori continued regardless, "Its that Grimmjaw character isn't it? You couldn't find him in Hueco Mundo so you're trying to become stronger for when he comes back."

"Something like that." Ichigo said, "Zangetsu is as strong as he will ever become and my Hollow half has stalled as well, so I figured magic would be the next level to pursue."

"It's taken you the better part of the semester to conclude that?"

"My Hollow half was rather difficult about admitting that he didn't know how to improve any further."

Hinamori shrugged, she didn't understand much about her captain and that part of him. "Generally speaking there are two types of Death gods those that excel at magic and those who are a danger to themselves and those around them with it. It all comes down to a level patience and control that is typically innate to your personality. To be honest you don't seem like the sort of person who could safely use magic." She said letting her eyes wandering around the room and the destruction he had wrought.

"Figures." Ichigo said taking a seat on a slightly burnt bench behind them. "How are the students at the academy doing?"

"You've seen the reports."

"That measures everything except the things that will matter in the long run. So what do you think?"

"They are improving quickly. And they all seem to be very motivated to get ready for their exams and finish the semester. They've taken to the changes you've made and seem to be making real progress not just in their courses but they seem more like real Death Gods every day. Give it a few years and it should run like clockwork and produce the highest quality Court Guards seen in decades."

"What about the eight?" Ichigo asked leading Hinamori to role her eyes slightly, she still didn't really get why Ichigo all but obsessed about the top eight students in the academy. They did have potential, that was certain but she wasn't sure that the deserved this much attention from him, they couldn't have done anything that bad in life.

"They've lost interest."

"In being Death gods?"

"No just in the academy. They're still the top eight, but there no longer really working in class, the teachers are struggling to just to keep them awake half the time. From what I've been able to gather they've taken up practicing on their own outside of class and have probably surpassed what their teachers are trying to teach them at this point. Actual class work just doesn't challenge them anymore."

"And what about Mr. Takeda?"

"You mean Uri? I've placed him on the injured list so that he could be excused from physical practice and work. He seems to have quietly accepted this and has all but stopped working at school."

"What about at home?"

"He's not working, at least not on the level that the others are. He doesn't seem to have their motivation and is making little progress in any way."

"What about the rest of the sixth years?" Ichigo asked causing Hinamori to exhale deeply before continuing.

"One more year and they would be ready, maybe even just a semester if you put the fear of god in them. But as I figure it if any of them are sent to the real world come August and they will probably die after their third or fourth Hollow fight."

Ichigo nodded, "The Eleventh squad needs about half our graduating class the moment they're done and the Third, Sixth and Seventh squads desperately need men as well. The Captain Commander has made it clear that we cannot afford another year out of action."

"We could fail them all, giving exams beyond their ability wouldn't be too hard." Hinamori suggested.

"The Commander is aware of that and has decided that any student who fails us in this time of need isn't worth recruiting in a time of plenty. Any sixth year students who fail this year won't be coming back."

"He can't order that, it's your call on who gets into the academy and who gets dropped."

"But it's his call on who gets into the court guard."

"So we either crush their dreams or send them to their deaths." Hinamori concluded.

"Yep."

"Why is the commander doing this?"

"Mainly to test me, he wants to see what I would do in an impossible situation. From what I gather from the other captains the Commander wasn't to certain that I was worthy of this post."

"So what are you going to do kill their pride or their lives?"

"Neither, I'm going to change the question."

"You can't cheat the Commander."

"Watch me, the rules say they have to graduate but they don't say that they have to graduate in May. Technically they don't have to graduate till a week before they join the main squads in August."

"Yes but that rule only applies to students who have to retake their exams."

"Exactly."

"But the only reason why a student would have to retake an exam is if they missed the first exam because they were sick or otherwise indisposed."

"No, the only reason why a student can retake the exam is if the score is invalidated such as by sickness or extenuating circumstances."

"So what are you going to do? Get all the students to skip the exam?"

"Nope I am going to be evil. Bwahahahah."

"You're being vague again."

"Yes I am."

Skip

In the academy classes were proceeding as normal. Not by the old normal, if any of the students had been told that they were would be working like this last year none of them would've believed it. But now all of the radical changes were in place and people had applied their most unique of all talents: making the extraordinary boring. So students went about their daily lives. By now even the horror of the attack in the living world had worn off and everything was business as usual.

In 6b Uri sat on the side of the sparing arena as Rei scored the winning hit in her duel eight feet from her opponent. As the clock shifted on the classes moved from teacher to teacher. From the arena they went to track where Uri watched Takashi break the school record by a full tenth of second, which in the hundred meter flash step was a very impressive achievement. From the track they went on to magic and finally to history where Uri slept through the class undisturbed. He did very little these days, he had done very little since he left the hospital.

6a was a bit more interesting, so long as one did track the students during the actual classes. During class little was done that was truly impressive. Hayate still hadn't lost a match, Nagi and Hime still hadn't had anything other than a draw in their matches, Maka and Hiro won their matches as well though no one was quite certain how they managed to. In short little had changed for them, while school was in session.

Out of session seven of the eight met together in the woods outside of the school and practiced on their own. There the duels were more intense and elegant. The races were longer and faster. They practiced spells from stolen books by firing on each other. They also were gradually decreasing the population of tree in the forest as the continued to focus their killing intent and improve their spiritual pressure.

Uri didn't join them he made his way home following classes. He knew what they were doing but never asked to join and shrugged of any requests to join them. As far as he was concerned the school day and in fact most of the day itself was just a long time between his dreams at night. There was little he wanted or was willing to do.

However, school was going on, though it was almost over, so Uri was awake and the other seven weren't taking things very seriously at all. It was almost over though, all the classes were down to their final teacher and were learning a bit of history to give context to the skills that they were mastering. The teacher was just finishing up as the bell rang to signal the end of the day. The students got up and were ready to go when the teacher ordered them all back to their seats.

"One last thing." He said to them all, "We've received word on how the final exams will be held in two weeks. I hope you all are excited about them, I know we in the faculty are. First all I am sure most of you will disappointed to hear that there won't be a history final this year." He said as the students smiled to themselves, "Though we will have a cumulative test before the year is out." He added as the students moaned.

"The Physical classes will have physical exams this year, you will have to demonstrate the major forms of swordsmanship and fighting styles you have been learning to your teachers. There will also be a very large mandatory tournament and marathon that you all will take to gauge your skill at fighting and flash step. And you will have to flash step though it My Hayate.

"The Magical exam will have a written and demonstration portion. You will have to write out the incantations to several spells and then release them without saying the incantation. Finally there will be one so called mystery exam that they haven't told us anything about." The class erupted in righteous indignation at the sound of this, how could they take an exam they knew nothing about.

"You're wasting time on me students. The exam schedule has come to us from Captain Ichigo himself. Though I have been assured that you will be able to take and pass this exam without any preparation at all."

Skip

The spring air swept through the court of wandering souls. It was warm enough that one didn't have to bundle up anymore but still cool enough so that one couldn't really work up a sweat in it. As it drifted over the houses it picked up the thousands of smells of human life. The sweet perfumes of young girls the sweat of real men hard at work, even the smell of cooking meat every now and then as students to the academy and those who would soon join them sat down to a good meal. It was in short a perfect day like so many others in Soul Society.

Which was good for Uri Takeda, he was still covered in the heavy bandages that covered and protected his injuries from the fire. He had been released from the hospital weeks earlier and had come back to an interesting time at school. His injuries meant that he was officially excused from physical work and now that most of what the academy did was physical work that mean he did have anything to do with most of his classes. As for the other classes, well, Uri had always been able to get all of his mental work done with minimal effort so in truth he spent of most of the school days asleep.

So today, like many days, he left school on his own well rested and refreshed and was enjoying the cool breeze even through the several layers of bandages around his skin. He made his way through the crowds with little difficulty. It always amazed him how people would get out of the way for a mummy with a cane. He could all but close his eyes and still make it through the crowds perfectly well. He was in fact closing his eyes when someone suddenly crashed into him and knocked him down.

The ground was warm, it had been baked by the light of noon sun and the constant friction of a million souls pressing down on it. Uri always remembered how warm the ground was that day. It even kept him from looking up for a few seconds to see why he was on the ground.

"Hey Takashi," He finally said as he looked up at his rival standing overhead, "How's Rei?"

"She's fine," Takashi answered as he drew a practice sword and casually threw it back and forth between his hands, "She's visiting her mother out in the 53rd ring."

"That's nice."

"You know I think that's the first time you've called Rei by her name to my face since we made our oath all those years back."

"If I didn't know any better I would say that you miss me calling her a whor-"

"I almost do. I also miss the days when you could count on a cripple you knocked down to cry out in pain."

"I wouldn't know, I never knocked down a cripple before; but to each his own I guess."

"Uri, cut the crap already. Why are you still putting up with this?"

"What do you mean?"

"If I had hit you like this before you would've twisted me around and thrown me into the next ring."

"I don't get what you're talking about."

"Fine I say it clearly, why the hell are you still on the ground? Why haven't you been practicing in the sparing matches? Why are you letting Maka cry when she sees how miserable you've been acting since the attack?"

"You would be surprised how warm the ground is." Uri answered and then quickly moved his head aside as the sword driven into the ground a faction of an inch from where he was. Uri was up in an instant after that, rolling to the left to get out from under Takashi who quickly drew his sword out of the ground.

"How dare you say something like that? Why won't you fight like you used to? Why have you been dead since you went to the living world?"

"Give me a break man, I'm injured."

"I told you to cut that crap out. Even if I ignore the fact that you're moving just as easily as ever and didn't even notice being knocked down, injury would never hold someone like the Uri I used to know back. You remember the time when we arm wrestled throughout an entire three day weekend? And how the match ended with us both breaking our arms? We came back to school the next day and still trained just as hard. You even dueled me with your broken arm just to prove that you could. What happened to that? Why are you still lying down?"

"All these questions are getting bothersome, I'm just as free to change as anyone else I don't need to live up to your standards."

Then Takashi rushed him, sword out stretched in a forward thrust. Uri sidestepped the blow and stepped back. Takashi came back at him with a quick slice to the left, but Uri blocked it with his cane and continued to give ground. The crowds parted around them in stunned silence, violence was rare in this part of the wandering court and the sight of a boy and a cripple fighting each other was just to shocking to believe. Takashi pressed on swinging wildly at his foe, killing intent radiating from his sword, but his every swing was parried by Uri who continued to give ground and never lashed back. Finally the crowds came back to life and surged forward. Eight men grabbed a hold of Takashi and held him back while several more gathered around Uri protectively.

Takashi broke past the fist men and collided with the second. He spirit surged against them and forced them down, it would only take a few seconds before he broke past them as well. His eyes focused solely on his target before him. Uri held his cane before him expecting the next strike to come at any time now. His breathing was random, ragged and difficult; he cursed in between breaths and held his cane at the ready.

"Binding Art number 30, triple beam prison," an unseen Maka called out from beyond the crowd releasing three golden triangle through the mob that crashed into Takashi and sent him flying backwards pinning him to the wall behind them. The mob stopped in it tracks looking back at the young girl who had so effortlessly stopped the fighting.

"Evening all." She calmly greeted them as she walked through the mass of people like she was queen of the streets, "I would like to thank you all for helping in this training exercise, I am sure my partners will benefit from the experience of have to fight through a large group of people. You may all return to your routines."

The mob backed off slowly not entirely sure what to make of all of this. Within a few moments though they had all dispersed back into the ever present tides of the streets. After that Maka made her way over to Uri who nodded at her.

"Thanks a lot Maka…" He managed between gulps for breath, "Looks like you saved me that time."

"Maka Chop!" Maka declared as he brought her hand and a very large book that came from nowhere down of Uri's head sending him down into the ground again.

"What was that for?" Uri demanded to know form the ground.

"Takashi may be an idiot but he has a few good points. You've changed Uri for the worst. I am going to get stronger, we all are. What happened in the living world is never going to happen to use again. It's time to stop hiding behind those bandages and start working to become stronger again."

"I don't see what that has to do with me." Uri said looking away from the girl standing over him. Maka's face actually turned red as she raised the book back up into the air. As she brought it down one of the oddest things they had ever seen happened. The sky above them all shattered and fired a white rocket down into the ground.

End Chapter 10.