Disclaimer: I do not own any characters of Bleach! All properties of Bleach belong to its creator, Tite Kubo. The only character I own is the OC Yuki.

As he dusted off the chalkboard in silence, Kurosaki Ichigo reflected upon the events that had recently occurred to him and the strong emotions that brewed deep in his heart, strangling his veins and causing his breath to catch in his throat. It had happened just a few days ago. Suddenly, from the peaceful blue sky, dropped a couple of strange invaders with even stranger powers. Both had the mask fragment and heart hole of a hollow, but… they also had Zanpaktou firmly attached to their waists as well. Upon arriving to rescue Orihime, as well as Chad, who had already been severely injured in battle by these monsters, he took his friend's place in the fight, battling against the larger opponent, successfully cutting off his right arm. However, just as things were going according to plan, his inner hollow had interrupted in the fight, restricting his movements in attempts to make Ichigo see that he needed to use the powers of his inner hollow to win, causing Ichigo to also get beaten as his opponent tossed around his immovable body like a rag doll across the field. Never had he felt so weak, so utterly useless. Dammit! He thought. He wasn't strong enough to beat these enemies, who, he discovered, were members of Aizen Sousuke's army. Reminiscing on his defeat, he knew Urahara and Yoruichi, coming just in the knick of time, had saved him as he wallowed in shame. Sure, his life had been spared, but what of his pride? Thinking back on it, he heard the voice of the pale figure with cold, emotionless green eyes echoing in his mind like a slicing dagger:

"We are reporting back to Aizen-sama. I'm going to tell him that the Substitute Shinigami he had his eyes on… is just trash, and not even worth killing…"

Gritting his teeth, Ichigo cursed under his breath. How had all of this happened? One day, everything was peaceful and undisturbed for the most part, minus the presence of the occasional Hollow, and, of course, the new transfer student, Hirako Shinji; an issue that could be ignored for certain periods of time, and something he could deal with. The question was… could he deal with this? This new threat that had come to haunt him and his friends and loved ones, or the innocent that had gotten drawn into the battle unwillingly, only to die at the hands of these fiends? By the looks of things, he would say that he was far from even comprehending how unprepared and weak he was when it came to dealing with this new threat. What exactly were they, these mercenaries from within the grottos of Hueco Mundo? Were they like Shinji? Like… him? He didn't need Shinji telling him. He knew his hollow was getting stronger and stronger with every passing day, get closer and closer… He didn't have the will to contemplate that right now. His thoughts were on Orihime, Chad, and Tatsuki. That morning, Orihime had come to school for the first time in five days since the attack. She had stayed in bed, healing her wounds at Urahara's shop. He approached her, prepared to apologize to her for allowing his own weakness to let harm befall his precious friends. He recalls the bulky cast surrounding her left forearm and the broken smile on her face, telling him not to worry. "Inoue…"

Turning to him, she smiled her famous perky smile, happy to see him feeling better. She knew he must have wanted to speak with her about something because she responded to him with a nervous, "Yes, Kurosaki-kun?"

What could he say to her? What else could he have done? The troubled feelings that swirled like a wild tempest in his mind dragged him down into a choking grave, making his tongue dry, his throat clench, and his lips seal. He only looked to her with the deepest and most honest expression of regret, turning away with a quiet, "… Never mind. Forget it. It's nothing."

And with that, he saw the usually cheery, happy-go-lucky girl race out of the classroom and down the hall in sadness, with Chizuru hot on her trail. Even now, the words she said at the shop still rang into his thoughts…

"Don't apologize. Please…" He looked to her, a cast around left arm and bandages wrapped tightly around the left side of her head. "It's okay, really…" she said, "It was my choice to jump in like that. It was my own fault… that I got hurt. Really, it's not as bad as it looks. So…"

Her eyes were filled with tears. Tears of concern, tears of sadness, tears of concealed pain, all for his sake, all to make him feel better, all for him. "Don't apologize… It wasn't your fault"

Why? He asked himself, Why?... Chad got hurt… Tatsuki almost died… All because I was too weak, too weak to protect my friends. How can I not… feel guilty? How can I not… apologize?

So here he was, Kurosaki Ichigo, as miserable as ever, head bowed in penitence as he silently grieved for the misfortunes his friends suffered through. And it was entirely his fault.

Suddenly, the wave of familiar reiatsu stunned him on the spot and caused him to gasp, eyes widening as he glanced to the white door of his classroom, hearing the familiar bickering that he had become accustom to in the heart of the Seireitei all those months ago when he rescued Rukia from the clutches of her executioners.

"This is your fault!! You should have just let me bring a real sword!!"

"It's not us, it's the law here."

"No swords?! That's a stupid law!"

"SHUT UP!!! You're making a scene!"

"Fine…"

"Fine…"

"Ah, he's in here. Go on, open the door."

When the door swung open, Ichigo certainly wasn't expecting to see such familiar faces, let alone those faces being Shinigami from the Soul Society he knew all too well. In his usual arrogant voice, the redhead greeted the baffled substitute, "Yo! How've you been, Ichigo?!"

The teen in question took a moment to register the picture in front of him before actually replying. "R-Renji?! Ikkaku?! Yumichika!! Rangiku-san!!" He was even more shocked to see who their leader was, getting in closer to really make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him. "Toushirou!?!"

The small captain quickly came back with his own rebuttal. "That's Captain Hitsugaya!"

Looking with confusion and skepticism at his redheaded friend, Ichigo asked, "What the hell are you guys doing here?!"

"We're on a mission." Was Renji's quick reply. "We were ordered to team up with the Substitute Shinigami for the battle against the Arrancars."

Again with confusion and even, disbelief, Ichigo looked to Renji. "What?... Arran… Who?"

"Eh? You fought them without even knowing who they were?!"

A sudden, yet strong voice echoed through the classroom, unmistakable, and unchanged. One that, even Ichigo, could never forget, even if he lived for all eternity. One that was more familiar to him than all the rest. "Dumbass! Those guys that nearly killed you the other day!"

Turning to the source, which was the classroom window, there was a moment of silence where the room stood still as he was suddenly reunited with his dearest friend, and the one who changed his life. Looking with a shocked expression at her face, he practically whispered her name. "…Rukia."

"Long time no see, eh Ichigo?"

Time stopped as the two stared at each other for, what felt like an eternity. Brown eyes met indigo somewhere in the middle, and the long awaited return of the Shinigami who had granted Ichigo his chance to shine had finally come home. From the back of his mind, Ichigo could faintly here the shocked words of his classmates and Chizuru calling out to him. However, the good moments were suddenly cut short when Rukia jumped from the windowsill with extreme speed and agility. Without time to react, a foot found itself planted right into Ichigo's face, sending him flying back.

"What the hell was that for?!" Without skipping a beat, Renji grabbed onto his arms, locking him in place. "Huh?" answered a bewildered Ichigo before getting slapped in the face a couple times by the same small raven-haired Shinigami. Pissed off at such an unwelcoming greeting, he retaliated. "You Bitch!"

"Look at yourself!!" She yelled back before pulling out her damned glove, smacking him on the forehead, and dragging his Shinigami soul out of his body and out the window with a harsh, "You're coming with me!", leaving the other Shinigami behind in Ichigo's classroom. That is never a good idea.

***

"Just as I expected" started Rangiku, her face holding a newfound smugness to it.

"I guess so, huh… seriously, though, what a pain in the ass…" replied a stoic Renji.

Ikkaku, wearing a pissed off look, answered, "Don't you think it's justified, though, after seeing how he stared at her with such an idiotic face?"

That was when a battle commenced between Yumichika and Rangiku.

"Is that so?... Well, it may have been weird, but it was also attractive… 3", began Rangiku.

"Attractive?! Just what could ever be attractive about that uncultured swine?!"

"I wasn't asking for your approval, Yumichika.."

"Then who's approval were you seeking? Ikkaku's?!"

"Hey don't drag me into this. Idiots."

A slowly steaming Hitsugaya finally snapped under the heavy blanket of bickering and arguing.
"Hey, guys!? Would you shut up for a second!?"

Then, glancing over to the side, he finally noticed the small figure that, this entire time since entering the school, had been silently hiding behind Rangiku and her curvaceous hips. Sighing, he addressed the hidden figure, hoping to get her out with the rest of them. "Hey Yuki, you don't have to be scare you know. Kurosaki and Kuchiki are gone now, so you don't have to keep hiding behind Matsumoto."

The figure glanced out from behind her shield, looking rather nervous. This was her first time to the World of the Living and she was rather frightened by all the weird things that appeared here. She had already walked out into the road, nearly getting hit by a strange, yet fast moving machine. That had scared her half to death, and she didn't want to go through it again. She wasn't even sure if the humans in this school were safe to be around. Everything about this world both amazed and frightened her. She wanted to know more, but was afraid of the consequences. "Mou, but why captain? I don't really like it here…"

Running a hand trough his white hair, Hitsugaya groaned. He really didn't want to deal with this. He couldn't help Yuki right now, they needed to get to Ichigo's place…if stupid Rangiku hadn't lost the damn directions!! Looking at the poor girl, he didn't even know why Rangiku and Rukia had commissioned Yuki for this expedition anyway…not to mention that the schoolgirl outfit suited her a little too well. Scratching the back of his head, he tried to reassure the girl that there were no worries. "Look Yuki, there's no danger here. We aren't fighting Hollows. These are just a group of normal teenagers, so you don't have to be afraid".

He offered his hand to her, but she declined, stepping out on her own to ogle around the classroom. "Wow, these classrooms sure are different then the ones back at home!" she noticed.

Suddenly, voices from the back of the class made themselves known to the group of Shinigami at the front. "Whoa!"

The Shinigami glanced at the back to watch the teens in their shocked and confused ramblings.

"What the hell happened to Kurosaki? That chick beat the shit out of him, and then he just keeled over…"

"I think I can see the whites of his eyes!"

"Hey Kurosaki… are you alright?"

"You guys, I think he's dead."

"Yeah, these guys are bad news. Look at the guy with the funky red hair!"

Cutting in before Renji could retaliate, Ikkaku reassured the Sixth Division Lieutenant. "Don't worry about it, Renji. They're only humans anyways."

This didn't stop the kids from gossiping.

"Whoa, he's even got tattoos!

"Look! One of them's got a wooden sword!"

"Who's the hottie with the gold hair?"

"That guy's got silver hair."

"Is that one guy bald?"

"Does that guy have feathers glued to his eyebrow?"

"That little girl looks like she should be in the middle school across the street."

"That chick has huge breasts…"

"Hey, I was right, he is bald!"

Fuming, Ikkaku started to pull out his sword. "Hey, whoever just called me bald twice, get your ass over here, now…"

Now, it was Renji's turn to be the smart one. "Don't worry about it, man. They're just humans after all…"

"THE HELL WITH THAT! I'LL CUT THEM ALL IN HALF!!"

"With a wooden sword?" inquired Renji.

"I shall assist you, Ikkaku!" replied a sparkling Yumichika.

Trying to calm the nerves of the poor captain who was put in charge of this band of idiots, Yuki tried in vain to pat Hitsugaya's back. "You alright, Captain?"

With veins bulging from his head, and his eyes fixed with hidden rage and annoyance, he seethed through his teeth. "I really wish this was someone else's job right now…"

From outside the class, Mizuiro and Keigo were loitering in the halls, Mizuiro, on his cell phone, and Keigo, trying in vain to get his attention. "It's true Mizuiro! If you mix one part Calpico and two parts ginger ale, it tastes just like hair tonic!"

While dialing the buttons, Mizuiro answered with a sarcastic tone, "That's really something Asano-san. Drink a lot of hair tonic, do you?"

"HUH? What's with the 'Asano-san' all of a sudden? Why so distant and cold, man?"

Looking over to his class, which seemed to be making an extreme amount of noise for such a small room, he closed his phone, ignoring Keigo's pleas for attention. "What's going on in our classroom?"

Turning, Keigo beamed at the chance for the spotlight. "What? Oh, yeah! Right! I'll scout it out!!" Running to the classroom, he threw the door open, yelling at his fellow students, "Hey, who decided to have all the fun without-" he certainly didn't expect a bald-headed villain at the entrance to the class, glaring at him. He gulped, finishing his sentence in a squeak of, "me?" before he was grabbed by his tie, eye to eye with this hoodlum.

"Who are you?! What the hell you looking at?! I'll beat you, stretch you, fry you, chew you up, and spit you out!! Let's go buddy!"

Ikkaku's threats were met with punishment, also known as Rangiku's hand making hard contact to the back of his head. As he winced in pain, she wore a look of annoyance at his habit of picking fights with poor unfortunate strangers.

"Leave him alone, Baldy."

Ikkaku turned to her, rather pissed, "What the hell, Rangiku?! That hurts!!"

"Stop whining and shut up or I'll tell Yachiru about this."

He stopped. In his division, telling of something that you weren't suppose to do to the bubbly pink little spawn of death was almost as bad, if not sometimes worse, than telling Captain Zaraki himself. Sweating bullets, he pleaded reason with the irked blonde. "W-what? But they, I mean… spare me, please?"

"That's better." she answered. Clapping, she got the attention of the rest of the party. "No more distractions! We're booking it out of here, you idiots!"

Hitsugaya, still in need of an aspirin and a good, long nap, glared to Rangiku. "You wouldn't be including me in this band of 'idiots', would you?"

Turning to him, she smiled. "Of course not Captain!" She looked over and saw Yuki still gazing around like a child in a candy shop. "or little Yuki-chan either."

From Keigo's view, he could only gape before the almighty glory of the Valley of the Gods that was Rangiku's chest. Being the pervert that he was, Keigo had no regrets about jumping right at her, arms outstretched, waiting for the embrace of the godly cleavage. "That's quite a scandalous uniform, Onee-san!!"

He was instantly met head on with a fist to his face. He fell to his defeat, reduced to a quivering worm on the ground, feeling the heat from the punch in his face. The group walked away, leaving the poor broken teen behind to grovel on the ground. "Is that guy all right?" asked Ikkaku.

"Oh yeah, he's fine. Let's go guys!" replied Rangiku.

"But Rangiku-chan… We don't know how to get to Ichigo-san's house…" pointed out a naive Yuki.

"That, my dear Yuki-chan, is what the humans call 'Winging it'."

***

Mizuiro, who was walking by, stepped on Keigo just as he was getting up, making him groan. "You sure make a good foot rest, Asano-san."

He's only response was, "I'll kill you…"

A/N: Please R&R. I hoped you enjoyed the fic, and wait for my next upcoming fics. Also, there will be a poll posted to determine the pair that Yuki will be placed in by the end, so keep your eyes open!