Chapter eleven: Graduation.

Chapter eleven.

[Several months later.]

''Agh, damn it...'' Hideki groaned, the words on the page before him blurring together, his gaze shifting, focusing on the ceiling. The room was empty, the silence deafening. His fingers reached for the ink bottle, dipping the brush into it, bringing the tip to the paper. It was late, his eyes heavy, the candlelight illuminating his desk flickering, threatening to give out.

Bags were visible underneath his eyes, and his shoulders slumped, his posture sloppy, as if the slightest movement would be enough to send him toppling over. With a deep breath, he began to write, his brush moving gracefully across the page, the letters appearing one after the other, forming more and more words.

He was no stranger to late-night writing sessions, his studies had been the most time-consuming aspect of his daily life ever since he had first started the academy, particularly once he made his decision to accelerate his graduation.

''... I hate this.'' He muttered, rubbing his temples, his golden eyes fixated on the sheet of paper before him, the text written on it, which was now complete, readable. ''Soul Society's History, First Part. A brief overview.'' He sighed, reaching for another piece of paper, which had already been prepared beforehand.

He repeated the process, the sound of the ink brush scratching the surface of the paper filling the air, his hand moving with purpose, his eyes, tired and dry, focused on his work. This was the eleventh such paper he had written, the stack of finished papers now towering on his desk.

'I'm this close to graduating, damn it. I'm not about to get held back because I failed a history test. That would just be embarrassing...' He thought, letting out a deep sigh, his pen finally stopping, the tip leaving the page. With a quick flick of his wrist, he dried the ink, a soft gust of wind escaping his fingertips.

''I sure hope my duties will not involve much paperwork.'' He said to no one in particular, his hands massaging his shoulders. ''I might end up dying of boredom." His gaze landed on the window, the moon hanging high in the sky, the faint rays of light barely making their way through the glass.

''... Maybe I should take a break.'' Hideki rose from his seat, the wooden chair screeching loudly, his back aching from having sat for hours, his muscles stiff. His hand moved, his palm landing on the hilt of his zanpakuto, the weapon now resting atop the desk, next to the stack of papers. ''I could use a little practice out in the field.''

In a single motion, he was gone, his flash-step carrying him far into the distance. The cool breeze caressed his skin as he arrived on a rooftop, the familiar sights of the academy surrounding him, the moonlight illuminating the grounds. His hand reached out, and his fingers seemed to bend light itself as he grasped a handful of reishi, an invisible veil covering his body.

''Bakudō #26. Kyokkō.'' The incantation escaped his lips. 'Quite useful when you need to remain unseen, I must say.' He thought, the sound of his footsteps silent. He made his way toward the edge of the roof, his gaze moving past the courtyard and towards the forest surrounding the academy.

'Time to blow up some stuff.'

[ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ]

''What even are these...!?'' Yuna's brows furrowed, her fingers attempting to rearrange Hideki's hair. ''Your hair is a mess.'' She exclaimed, pointing at the two spikes that adorned the sides of his head. ''How are these things still standing up like that?''

"Don't touch them," Hideki protested, swatting her hand away, his fingers brushing against the spiky hair as he tried his best to straighten it out. "I spent an hour trying to get them like that. They're part of my charm."

''You're ridiculous.'' Yuna chuckled, shaking her head. The two were sitting under the shade of a tree, the sun slowly beginning to set, casting the area in a soft, orange glow. ''Jun is running late again, isn't he?''

''He probably got lost in practice again.'' Hideki yawned, stretching his arms above his head, the joints popping audibly. ''He'll probably be here any...'' As if on cue, Jun came sprinting, his figure appearing in the distance, his arms flailing wildly. ''... minute now.''

''I'm free!'' Jun hollered, his voice causing the birds on the trees around them to scatter, his body skidding to a halt, a cloud of dust rising from his feet. ''Free! Free as a bird! I'm free!''

"You are late." Yuna deadpanned, eyeing the disheveled Jun. "I get it, you take your Zanjutsu very seriously, but this will probably be our last chance to spend some time together like this before someone...'' Yuna's voice trailed off, her lips pressing into a thin line as she stared at Hideki. ''... graduates."

"What...? Oh, come on, don't look at me like that." Hideki said, scratching his cheek awkwardly. ''I'll visit you guys, I promise. We'll stay in touch. It'll be fine, just you watch, a month from now, you'll be begging me to get out of your hair and stop bugging you. You'll see."

''...'' Yuna remained silent, the corners of her mouth twitching. ''I'll hold you to that.''

"So... " Jun piped up, wiping the sweat off his brow as he tried his best to fix his appearance. "What's the plan? I was thinking we could spar one last time, I mean, we haven't done it in a while. An all-out spar, how about it? We'll see who comes out on top. And this time, it'll be for real. No holding back!"

"No, I'd rather not." Yuna replied, staring at Hideki's zanpakuto resting against the tree. ''Last time he released that thing, he blew up half the field, remember? I'd rather not deal with that again, thanks."

''... I think I'm fine, too." Hideki replied, rolling a strand of his hair between his fingers. ''I was thinking we could talk, I mean, what are your plans once you two graduate? Have you thought about it?"

"I have." Yuna was quick to respond, a hint of pride in her voice. "I'm going to apply to the Sixth Division.''

''Oh, Makoto's managed to rub off on you, has he?'' Hideki snickered, nudging her with his elbow. Makoto had, throughout his monthly visits, managed to convince Yuna to apply to his squad. ''You gave up on the Fifth, then, huh?''

''It's not that I gave up, but...'' Yuna let out a sigh. ''I guess Squad Six feels like a better fit. Though I still have a lot of time to think it over, so, who knows."

"Mhm...'' Hideki mused, glancing over his shoulder at his other friend,. ''And what about you, Jun? Got a preference?"

''Squad Eleven.'' Jun's response came out without a second of hesitation.

''I figured as much." Hideki and Yuna said in unison, their expressions equally unimpressed.

"What's that supposed to mean, huh?'' Jun huffed, glaring at the duo. ''Come on, guys, Squad Eleven is awesome. I've been reading up on their history, you know. The Eleventh Division is the strongest, most elite, most respected, and most fearsome of all the Gotei 13 divisions. It's the best!"

"Uh-huh, and their Captain is a nutcase.'' Yuna retorted.

''Nu-uh!'' Jun argued, his face turning a light shade of red, his voice rising. Huffing, he turned to Hideki, who was watching the argument with an amused expression. ''What's with that face, huh!? You're no fun either, Hideki. You are applying for the Fifth Division, aren't you? That's like, so out of character, dude."

''I get a seated position, though.'' Hideki grinned, leaning back, his arms folded behind his head. ''And it's not like I'm against the idea of transfering if I get a better offer, there are a few divisions I've been thinking about, too. The second, tenth, and thirteenth are pretty high on my list, you know?''

''Not the sixth?'' Yuna asked, pouting.

"No, not the sixth." Hideki replied, shrugging. ''You and Makoto will be there, which is nice, I guess. But both the captain and lieutenant are from the Kuchiki Clan, the current head and the heir, to boot. And I'm, you know, me, and they're, you know, them. I think it would be best to keep my distance."

"Fair enough." Yuna conceded.

''Besides...'' Hideki's voice grew soft, his gaze shifting toward the sunset. "It's not like the fifth doesn't have its advantages. I mean, Lieutenant Aizen is there, and he has been quite accommodating. Sure, I could ask Makoto for the same kind of help, but he's already done so much for me. It's about time I stopped leeching off him."

''Well, well, look who's grown up.'' Jun's lips curled into a grin. "I can't believe it, you're finally growing a conscience! Who would have thought."

'I'm not that bad, am I?" Hideki groaned.

''You kinda are." Yuna chuckled, reaching over to pat his head. ''Just don't cause too much trouble, the Fifth isn't a playground, Lieutenant Aizen has a soft spot for you, but try not to go too overboard, alright?''

''I'll be on my best behaviour." Hideki smiled, his hands raised in a defensive manner. ''You guys are such a bunch of worrywarts. I'll be fine, you'll see. Everything will work out, it always does.''

[ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ]

''Ahn... I'm so done...!'' Walking out of the exam room, Hideki felt his shoulders slump. His muscles were tense, his stomach growled, and he felt as if the sun had decided to rise inside his skull, his brain throbbing painfully. ''... So... done..."

It had been a long, long week. First, the practical portion, which had been a walk in the park for him, his speed, power, and skill all surpassing the standard graduation requirements by a mile. The written test, however, had been an absolute nightmare, and it was only his own stubbornness and the late-night writing sessions which had seen him through it.

The last two tests were the most annoying of them all, the interviews and the written evaluation, one which was designed to assess his overall personality, his knowledge, and his skills. The former, thankfully, had gone quite well, considering the fact that he already had a squad in mind.

"Ugh... I should grab something to eat," Hideki muttered, his hand rubbing his forehead. He could use a shower, and a change of clothes, and a bath, and a good night's sleep, and maybe another one after that, and—

''Aw...!'' His musing was broken by a soft yelp. Glancing down, he saw a girl wearing the academy's uniform on the ground. Her black hair, cut in a bob, framed a face with light blue eyes that were slightly narrowed as they tried to focus.

In her immediate disorientation, she started to pat the floor, her fingertips tracing circles on the polished surface as if searching for something she'd lost.

''Hm...?'' Kneeling beside her, Hideki's fingers took hold of an object, a pair of glasses. It had been lying next to the girl, just outside the entrance to the exam room. ''I believe you dropped these.'' He extended his hand, his voice catching the girl's attention. ''Sorry about that, by the way. Sorry about that, I didn't see you.''

"O-Oh," she began, fumbling to put her glasses back on. As she did, her face came into sharper focus, and she blinked up at him. "No, it's fine, I should've been watching where I was going too."

Hideki chuckled, offering her a hand to help her rise. "It's fine, we were both at fault, then. I'm Fujioka Hideki," he said, waving dismissively with a grin. "Apologies for not noticing you earlier. Just wrapped up my graduation exam, and my mind's a bit... scattered."

''Wait...'' The girl stepped back, eyes widening as she looked him up and down. "Graduation exam? Aren't you a bit young for that?"

''Hah!'' Leaning in with a playful smirk, Hideki teased, "Coming from someone who's clearly a first-year, that's saying something. But yes, I've kind of... fast-tracked my way through."

''I look like a first-year?'' She puffed up indignantly, hands on her hips. "I'll have you know—," she began, then took a deep breath, pushing up her glasses, calming herself. ''Nevermind. Yes, I am a first-year, I'm Ise Nanao."

"Nice to meet you," Hideki responded with a casual bow, amusement evident in his tone. Nanao reciprocated with a courteous smile. "I should head out; my friends are probably looking for me."

"Of course," Nanao said, her eyes reflecting understanding. "I should be on my way as well." With a swish of her uniform, she departed, and Hideki watched until she blended into the crowd and vanished.

'Strange girl,' he mused, a chuckle escaping his lips. 'Nanao Ise... Why does that ring a bell? Some kind of nobility, perhaps? Eh, no matter...' He glanced around the deserted hallway, feeling a sense of nostalgia. 'One last stroll through these academy halls, then some well-deserved rest.'

[ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ]

''Here goes...'' Hideki whispered, his gaze moving over the large crowd gathered before him, sixth-year students all dressed in the academy's attire, lined up in front of a series of instructors. Their eyes were focused on the large board at the center of the courtyard, the same wall where the names of the graduates would be written, alongside their respective squad numbers.

"Fujioka Hideki." The instructor's voice cut through the air, his expression stern. "Graduated." Hideki let out a long breath, the tension leaving his body. ''Fifth Division.''

'Well, that was anticlimactic.' Hideki thought, a quiet murmur rising from the crowd. 'Not even a compliment? No praise or standing ovation? Damn, what a buzzkill...' His lips pressed into a thin line as he walked closer to the board, making his way past the crowd. His name was visible, alongside his graduation score.

"... Well, damn, look at that..." Hideki whispered, the corners of his lips curling up into a grin, his hand reaching out, his finger tracing his name. "Not bad, Hideki, not bad at all.'' Right next to his name, a large five was engraved, and next to it, another number was written, signifying a seated position, marking him as a fully-fledged, and now seated, member of the Fifth Division.

''Eighteenth seat... Not too bad. Though I could do better.'' Hideki nodded, a hint of pride visible on his face. ''I half expected them to give me the lowest seat possible, to be honest. This is... surprisingly generous. Then again, maybe Lieutenant Aizen had something to do with this...''

He let out a soft sigh, his smile growing. ''I did it.'' He took a step back, taking in the sight of the board. The names continued to be announced, and slowly, the crowd was beginning to disperse, the graduating students breaking off in groups, their voices and laughter filling the courtyard.

He was the one person who stood mostly alone, his only company being his own zanpakuto as his fingers traced the hilt of his sword, his grip tightening. 'This is the real deal now.' He thought, the sounds around him becoming muffled, as if he was submerged underwater, the world around him a blur. 'No more tests, no more assignments, no more studying. Only the real thing.'

End of chapter eleven.