"So, as you all know, I am a Shinigami, and for today's show and tell, I have brought my zanpankutou over to showcase." Rukia said, showing the class a sword with black sheathe. "Her name is Sode no Shirayuki, which means 'sleeved white snow', and it is known as the most beautiful zanpankutou in the whole soul society." Rukia said proudly.
The class stared at her. Some with exasperation, some with humour, some with annoyance. But mostly, kind, forgiving looks. After all, Rukia is one of the prettiest girls in class.
Ever since Rukia came, she had been going on about her being a shinigami. Wait, I mean, Shinigami. There's a capital 's' to the word, as she always emphasised. Oh well. But Rukia was just a kid, or maybe just young at heart, so there is no need to stop her from dreaming about becoming a Shinigami.
Whatever the reasons, Kurosaki Ichigo did not care. Going on and on about being a Shinigami, through that earning popularity throughout the school was what Rukia had done, and Ichigo was not happy about it. So many times had Ichigo tried to snap Rukia out of that silly dream, but no, Rukia must believe that she is a Shinigami.
"…so with this I can freeze anything within the vicinity, and then defeat the opponent." Rukia said, drawing on her sketchbook.
"Yeah, why don't you show it to us? Then I can understand your 'dances' better." Ichigo said.
"I can't." Rukia said simply. "I am weakened by a Hollow, so I don't have enough power to use my Shinigami abilities."
What crap excuses. "Yeah right." Ichigo snorted.
Rukia pouted. "If I regain my abilities, you will be the first person I show my powers to, I swear."
"Sure, no problem." Ichigo dared. He doubted she will ever regain her powers in that case.
"That's the end of my presentation, thank you for listening." Rukia said, bowing.
"No, thank you for sharing." Ichigo said sarcastically.
Rukia glared at Ichigo and returned to her seat angrily.
XxXxX
"Hey, Ichigo, why are you so mean to Kuchiki-san?" Tatsuki demanded.
"Yeah, Rukia is so cute!" Mizuiro said.
"And she has long, sexy legs too!" Keigo exclaimed.
Ichigo packed his bag and got ready to leave. "I don't care about her, if she's going to keep pretending to be something that she's not, she's bound to be treated this way, so she might as well get used to it." He stood up and walked away.
"But you don't have to rebut her like that!"
"Yeah, just say it nicely."
"Anyway, she's so cute while pretending to be a Shinigami!"
"Shut up..." Ichigo said. Geez, everyone just wants to protect Rukia. What's so good about her? She's cute? Bah! She's flat that's more like it. He opened his water bottle and drank, trying to cool down his anger.
He turned in the corner and saw Rukia.
Rukia lifted her eyes. "Oh, hi Ichigo."
"Hi, Death Princess!" Ichigo said, splashing water onto Rukia.
"Eek!" Rukia squealed, dropping her stupid sketchbook and toy sword on the floor.
Ichigo smirked as he ran away.
XxXxX
"I'm home!" Ichigo said, throwing his shoes angrily.
"Welcome home. You look troubled, what's wrong, Ichi-nee?" Yuzu asked kind-heartedly.
"There's no need to ask what's wrong, throwing your shoes like that is a sign of disrespect, and this needs punishment from daddy!" Isshin shouted, as he jumped across the air, aiming a kick at Ichigo.
As usual, Ichigo just threw his father back to the wall.
"There's this girl in my school, she's new, and she's been claiming everywhere that she's a Shinigami." Ichigo said as he sat down on the chair.
"Shinigami? That's really cute." Yuzu commented.
"Cute?" Ichigo frowned. "You serious? Have you read 'Death Note'?"
"Yeah, of course. The Shinigamis in there are really cute." Yuzu announced proudly.
Ichigo's image of her sister was immediately destroyed, as he sighed and laid back. "Anyway, whatever she does always seem to catch my attention, so I think she's trying to gain attention, it's annoying." He shrugged. "I don't like people that do weird stuff just to get attention. Furthermore, her method is the weirdest and most annoying one I have ever seen."
"Really?" Yuza said, worried. "It's your first time making so much fuss over a girl you know…"
"Yeah, whatever, I'll go bathe." Ichigo left.
XxXxX
Ichigo sat at his seat. He looked up when Rukia walked into the classroom.
She's wearing a pendant.
Ichigo's eyebrow twitched. "What the hell?"
"Hey Rukia, what is this?" The entire class rushed to Rukia. Somehow this always happens, and this always made Ichigo irritated.
"Oh this? It's a pendant that's suppose to help me increase the power of my Kidou spells." Rukia said.
"It's so pretty, who gave it to you?" Orihime asked.
"Oh…it's someone…"
"Eh, who is it?" Everyone cooed.
"Someone…I used to like…" Rukia blushed, holding on to her pendant. "I can say that this is like my life partner. I will be with it for the rest of my life." Rukia laughed.
Ichigo had no idea but that sentence pissed him off. He walked towards her.
"Your life partner huh?" Ichigo sneered. He grabbed the pendant away from Rukia forcefully. "Well, I'm killing your life partner. When I drop this, it will break. What'll you do?" He took the pendant and stuck it outside the window.
"Don't! Please don't!" Rukia pleaded.
"What? You can't fly to retrieve it, huh? Shinigami can't fly?" Ichigo taunted.
"We can, but currently I can't…" Rukia said, going softer as she finally realised how stupid her reason was.
"Well, then try receiving it before it drops to the ground and break!" Ichigo said, throwing her pendant away.
Rukia would stare, and she would cry, as usual. She always cries whenever Ichigo bullied her. And the rest of the class would come to her rescue because she's really cute. Then his classmates would scold Ichigo for being so rude and mean to Rukia, the cute girl. Then Rukia would run down to the ground floor to pick up her pendant, which probably would still be okay. After all, hey, three storeys wouldn't hurt a pendant. Ichigo was just exaggerating.
But what happened was what Ichigo never expected.
Rukia jumped down the building along with her pendant.
She just ran to the window like nobody's business, and jumped out.
Just like that.
The whole class stared, dumbfounded.
Then chaos.
"Oh my god, Rukia jumped down three storeys!" Orihime shrieked; as the rest of the class hurried down to see Rukia.
"Quick, call sensei!"
"Get first aid for Rukia!"
"Do we need to call an ambulance?"
Ichigo just stood there, mouth agape.
What the... what the hell was that?
XxXxX
Ichigo stood outside the room. It read "Room 536", the room that Rukia was in.
Ichigo stood there, fidgeting.
It's not his fault that Rukia jumped out of the window. She's just stupid, believing that she can fly. And common sense tells you that a pendant wouldn't break by dropping down three storeys into the bush.
He was just exaggerating; he was just pissed off…
"Who are you?"
Ichigo turned around, and saw a long haired guy with a white headpiece.
"I…I'm Rukia's friend…" Ichigo stammered.
"I see." That guy said calmly. "I'm her brother."
"Oh." Immense guilt flowed through Ichigo suddenly, no idea why. He looked down on the floor, on Rukia, back to the floor, fidgeting. "I…I was the one that threw the pendant…" He admitted.
Rukia's brother turned to stare at him, with the same passive look. "Why?"
Ichigo shrugged. "I don't know… I just… I'm jealous perhaps… no, I…I…" Ichigo shook his head.
"She thinks she's a Shinigami and she can fly!" Ichigo exclaimed finally.
That guy just stared at him. After a second of disgusted look, he walked into the room, leaving Ichigo alone.
"It doesn't really matter, does it?" He threw those words before closing the door shut in Ichigo's face.
Ichigo stared through the door remorsefully.
XxXxX
Rukia walked into the class, with a cast around her arm. She sat in the class, happily writing notes away, not noticing the weird glances the classmates were giving her.
"Riiiing~" The bell rang. Rukia sprang up from her seat.
"Hey, let's go play!" Rukia said cheerfully to Orihime.
"Go away, psycho!" Orihime said, running away from Rukia.
Rukia looked beaten, as she turned around to see many others avoiding her.
"Tatsuki?" She tried calling out. Tatsuki averted her head and ignored her.
Why is everyone avoiding me? She scratched her head, unable to comprehend.
She sat down on the swing, alone, singing a rather sad tune.
Ichigo stood behind a tree, watching her. Should he do it? Or...
All that was happening to Rukia was his entire fault. It doesn't really matter, does it? Rukia's brother's words rang in his head. Ichigo nodded. As her brother said, it doesn't really matter if she thinks she's a Shinigami or not. Ichigo fidgeted a bit, while biting his lips he approached Rukia slowly.
"Hey, Rukia."
"Oh, hi, Ichigo!" Rukia answered.
Ichigo did not dare look at Rukia's eyes, who were boring into his face. They stood there awkwardly for a moment.
"Erm…about that…" Ichigo pointed at Rukia's cast. "I'm sorr…"
"Oh this? The pendant gave me enough strength to summon a small amount of my Kidou skills, so I am able to protect myself a bit. I mean, look, the cast is quite small. Without it, I would have get myself killed you know." Rukia said without pausing, cutting into Ichigo's sentence.
Ichigo stared at her, bewildered. At this point of time, she still…
Ichigo shook his head. Better change the topic quick.
"Erm, do you play video games?"
Rukia looked at Ichigo, eyes lit up. "Y…yes, I do!"
Ichigo sighed. Thank goodness. He never really knew what a girl likes.
"Want…wanna come over to play some time?"
"Yeah, sure! Of…of course!"
"G…great! This Saturday?"
"Saturday? Yeah…I'm free!"
"Oh…ok, cool…so….see you?"
"Yeah! See you!"
XxXxX
Ichigo stared, mouth agape, as what he never dreamt existed was actually right in front of him.
"I told you I'm a Shinigami." Rukia smiled, watching Ichigo's expression, as he nodded his head, defeated.
XxXxX
So, Shinigamis do exist…