Chapter 7 Retest

After the week of the Captains special attention, it was back to the regular classes for the students. After having met the Captains they realized how very far they had to go. Some weird knocked off their high horses, but others like Tashi, were given hope. After one of her lecture closes the professor called her over.

Tashi was afraid perhaps she had done something wrong during class. "Professor?" 'I shouldn't have answered all those questions! I should have let some other students answer.

"Yes, Tashi, after last week's performance I was told that a special request was put in for you to be re-tested."

"Huh?"

"A Captain thought you weren't placed in the correct level. It happens from time to time, but it seems the academy missed your talent."

"Wha?" 'A captain? Was it Kuchiki-sama?' "Oh dear! That means I have to take those tests again?"

The professor laughed and said "Yes Tashi, but don't worry there's no pressure. Just do your best. You don't have to be perfect you know."

Tashi felt her chin on her chest and thought 'Easy for him to say. If I don't do well it will reflect poorly on Kuchiki-sama for recommending me to be retested. If he's the one who requested it that is.'

"The paper exam will be 1 week from today. The field practical will be the second day after that." The professor handed her a hand written study guide. "Here are some questions to help you study."

Tashi took them and thanked the professor.

"Oh don't thank me, thank the Captain. He asked that I come up with some questions that help you expand your knowledge of general Shinigami History and laws. "

Tashi thumbed through the book and looked over what she already knew. "Wow professor there's a lot here."

"Mmhm. Since it's a retest the chances are it will be more difficult."

"Thank you professor. I'll go and begin studying right away."

The professor laughed at the nervous apologetic girl as she gathered up her possessions and sped out of the classroom. Joy bubbled up in her stomach as well as her nerves. 'I've been give another chance!' Tashi stopped running when she got a severe cramp in her side. She crouched down on the ground and realized it could have been anyone who recommended her, but she had to thank whoever it was properly. She sat on the dusty ground and wondered who it was. 'Oh No! It could have have been Ichimaru! Or that crazy Zaraki guy! Become stronger so I can cut you down! she heard him say in her mind. I hope it's Kuchiki-sama. It wouldn't hurt so much saying thank you to him.'

Her cramp faded and she continued on her way home. Eri, Atsumi and Tashi had dinner and Tashi told the girls about her retest. Atsumi stood from the table shaking what was on it and said "Lets celebrate! I'll go get the sake!"

Eri laughed at her friend and said "I think we'll hold the party after the test."

"Hahaha, right right" agreed Atsumi settling down.

"Which reminds me" said Tashi standing "I've got to study. Let's get these dishes done."

Atsumi said "Don't worry about this week Tashi, I'll do your share. Go be a good girl and study."

"Atsumi! Thanks!"

"I'll help out with your other chores this week too" said Eri.

Tashi went back to her room and started on the study guide. She burned the midnight oil most of the week until both Eri and Atsumi forced her to sleep. Tashi would wake up early to study, worked extra diligently after her classes all week, then after class would hit the kidou training field. When the sun went down she would stay and an extra hour and practice in the dark. She would go home, eat and hit the books again. The week went by too quckly for Tashi and she wished she had more time.

The day of the exam had arrived and she sat in an empty auditorium with her proctor.

She completed her multiple choice and had a fifteen minute break before the essay portion of the test. She decided to put her head down on the desk and rest. 'I hope I am doing well. I think I know most of these, but maybe I'm wrong. Don't worry Kuchiki-sama, I'll do my best on these essays to uphold the honor of our domain.

Tashi took a few minutes to think over some main themes from her study questions then she began her essays. After the exam she walked home exhausted. It was a warm sunny day, as usual but she spent the remainder of it sleeping. When she woke up the next day she worried about the lost time and rushed to the kidou practice field (after Eri forced her to eat some breakfast) and tried to make up for lost time.

Eri brought Tashi a lunch box and had a picnic with her on the kidou field. "You know Tashi, you're definitely stronger than when you first arrived."

"You think?"

"Oh yeah!" Tashi looked at the targets she hit on the kidou field. "I guess you're right. It's not fair then that I get to take this test again, is it?"

"Tashi it's only been a week! Of course it's fair! What was it that woke up this power in you?"

Tashi finished chewing her sandwich and swallowed. She thought back and realized what it was. 'It was that Captain who ticked me off.' "It was the incident with Ichimaru."

Eri laughed and said "Maybe I should convince him to tease me , if that's all it takes! I wonder why he did it."

"Who knows."

Later, Tashi thanked Eri for the lunch and got back to work. Eri stuck around and watched her friend nail target after target. At the end of the day Atsumi showed up on the field and the three went home together. Tashi and her roommate ate a light dinner and Atsumi went out to party, she said, for luck for Tashi. The girls saw her off and Tashi went to sleep early.

She woke up before her alarm and sat up in her bed. She felt strangely distant from herself and dressed and ate a small breakfast in a fog. Tashi headed to the practice field early and sat quietly waiting for her proctors and judges to arrive. The sun had risen and it was another beautiful day. She watched as the maintenance crew set up a few targets. She ran over what it felt like to stand on the field in her mind and visualized lining up her hand with the target.

She didn't feel the initiative and couldn't muster as much power as she had hoped she could on demand. One of the judges motioned for her to come down from the bleachers where she was sitting and was welcomed to warm up on the field. As she took a few steps down she felt a large emptiness inside her and felt it was consuming her energy. 'No! Not now! Before, like during sword practice my loneliness was a source inspiration. No, it was my family…'

As Tashi thoughts trialed so did her reiatsu. 'Why now? I wish I weren't alone' Tashi made it to the grass and nearly burst into tears as she looked at the targets. Then from behind her she heard some familiar voices screaming her name. The small rabble was made up of a few familiar faces: Eri who had been up at breakfast with her, and Tetsuo and Atsumi who Tashi suspected were still drunk form the night before.

Tashi's tears dried up and she walked more confidently to the mark. She made a few warm up shots with minimal effort. They were fast and accurate, but not impressively large, it didn't matter that they weren't perfect, her friends hollered at the top of their lungs. The maintenance crew laughed, but the judges were not amused. The instructors stepped up to the three students and told them that during practice their behavior was allowed, but once the whistle blew they would have to cease, or leave.

Eri and Atsumi understood, but Tetsuo was planning on continuing. One of the officials present explained the rules. The task was simple. Tashi had to successfully complete 3 rounds of exercises. The results would be based on speed, accuracy and power. One of the officials, a likeable man with long white hair, playfully dangled the whistle on it's string to let her friends know it was their last chance to cheer on Tashi. They let out all the noise they could. Once he blew the whistle they ceased their screaming. Atsumi helped Tetsuo cease his screaming with a hand over his mouth.

Tashi then raised her hand looked at her target 'My friends are here! Making a racket for me!' She smiled to herself and fired. She assumed she discharged her anxiety with the blast. She fired off on that had moderate speed and power, taking out most of the bull's-eye.

She turned around surprised her friends weren't breaking the rules. She saw Eri & Atsumi sitting with broad smiles on their faces, and Tetsuo tied up with rope and duck tape over his mouth. He wriggled with irritation until he saw Tashi looking up. He then began to bounce excitedly trying to show his support. Tashi was a little confused over where they got the rope and tape, but didn't want to let it distract her. She shrugged it off and went to focus on her next target.

As she turned a flash of red hair caught her eye. Tashi could not believe it. She had another supporter. Vice Captain Abarai leaned casually against the railing of the bleachers with his arms crossed and foot resting on a pole. 'Oh my gods! I'm about a third of my way through this. I can't screw up now! He'll go back and tell Kuchiki-sama!' Tashi anxiously turned back to her target and fired off another kidou blast. This one was slower but larger. The next two were similar.

She watched as the exam moderators made notes on their clipboards. Tashi bit her lip in anxiety and found herself looking to the Vice Captain for reassurance. He gave her a sharp nod once and she felt somewhat relived.

Next she was asked to complete several different chants. Each one was longer and more complicated than the last. She completed it satisfactorily and found that the last phase of the exam was upon her.

It was a wild-card round. It could have been a variety of tasks, but Tashi did not know what to expect. The task which was chosen by a random method was to hit a moving target. Tashi said "But I've only practiced on stationary targets!" She felt she may have spoken out of turn and immediately said "Sorry.,"

The judge said nothing in response and Tashi stood on the mark. Vice Captain Abarai shifted his feet but kept his arms crossed. He couldn't hear what the officials were saying but surmised whatever it was didn't comfort the student. Tashi looked more nervous than before, but took her mark nevertheless.

The rules were that she needed to hit a target that moved across the lawn. Each time she hit the target it would speed up. Both she and the target had prescribed spaces on the field. She couldn't cross the boarder of the field, but could move up and down along the line.

One of the officials blew the whistle and then let the target loose. It was a ball of light the size of a soccer ball. With each successful hit the ball would speed up. At first it was an easy target which Tashi was capable of hitting. Soon enough the ball was darting erratically across the field. She made her shots but kept missing. She began to panic.

She wasn't sure she wanted to hit it anymore. 'It's tough enough to hit the target at this speed!'

She moved from her stationary spot and began to run up and down the field. She hit the target again after a few misses sending it into another pattern of erratic movements. She knew she couldn't hit the ball anymore so she tried to predict its movements and aim at the spots she thought it was going to move to. But there was no pattern 'There has got to be something governing its movements!'

The clock was ticking and the judges were concerned. Normally a student would fire off as much as they could and hope the odds would be in their favor for the last few seconds.

Tashi got down on one knee, aimed carefully. She shot one side of the target then the other and realized the target avoided areas where she had already blasted. 'Maybe it has some kind of sensor that picks up on residual reiatsu and avoids it!'

Tashi saw the official look at his watch and knew her time was running out. She fired off a line of shots along, right behind the speeding target. She then switched to shots in the path of the target. The ball's patter of movements so far told her it would move backwards. If her theory about it sensing residual reiatsu was correct this would give her a chance.

Her hunch was right on the money. The ball went to move backwards but stopped short of the blast mark in the grass and it was long enough for Tashi to nail it. The official blew the whistle and Tashi sighed feeling she did what she could. She glanced at Renji who appeared to stifle a cheer and looked up at her friend behind her who went while in the stands.

She bowed to the officials and when they dismissed her she bolted off to the bleachers and ran up to her friends. They tackled her on the bleachers and hooted and hollered for her.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------