It was warm and nice for the month of August. Tachibana Balsa stood at the podium as she viewed her students, the warm and clean spring air caressed her face as she looked on calmly. She may not appear to be but she was happy and very upbeat. "Students of Karakura High School, you are like these sakura trees, they are green at the start but they eventually bloom and cast cherry blossoms, that had bloomed with care. These blooms will be the knowledge you will obtain for the future. Until then, welcome to Karakura high; I am Tachibana Balsa your Vice Principal."
An orange familiar spiky haired boy could be seen in her peripheral vision. 'Kurosaki Ichigo is my student again? I have been his kindergarten teacher and substitute teacher in middle school.'
Being a twenty-four year-old Balsa had to be careful, or rather she was fifty but looked to be twenty-four. She was a shinigami-human hybrid which means at a certain age she stopped aging.
Ichigo looked at Miss Balsa in shock, then he hide the smile that was about to break his face in half. he wondered if that woman will remember him. 'Does she ever get tired?' he thought to himself. after all she was his kindergarten teacher and substitute teacher in middle school. Not to mention his mother's best friend. Ichigo frowned as he felt some strange aura, but he shook his head at that and looked at Miss Balsa once more. It wasn't his business after all.
"That is all." Balsa felt an unsettling feeling she shook it off, she then backed away from the podium to allow the Physical education teacher to speak, it seems he was the principal; or a stand in.
"I am Kagine and from this day forward you are seeds, that I will crush if you are late to school even once."
The students were quiet and everything was tense.
Kagine looked irritated as if they were disobeying him already. "No, tardies! am I clear?!"
The students bowed. "H-hai, Kagine-sensei."
Ichigo grunts at that and roll his eyes, 'just great. another Isshin.'
"Kurosaki-Kun" he heard a lively voice call, actually more like yell his name; he turns to look at a long orange haired girl, with big eyes. It was Inoue Orihime, the only problem was Kagine was looking at him with a glare now.
Ichigo just smiles innocently as he looked at Balsa hoping she would save him from his painful fate.
Balsa walked up to Ichigo as the students backed away to allow space for Kagine and her to pass. "Kagine." She said calmly. "The child has enough problems with his hair color and I was his kindergarten teacher and substitute teacher in middle school, so I know this and I also know he is no troublemaker. Please go easy on Kurosaki Ichigo he had a rough childhood."
Kagine grunted, as he scratched his cheek. "Whatever, just don't let it happen again, understand? Kurosaki?"
Balsa lowered his head with her hand, gently but firmly. "Well, he understands and apologizes, right? Kurosak-" She froze as she felt a sudden burst of power within her. She retreated her hand. "Yes, well I must be going, I have work to do." With that said Balsa left.
Before Ichigo was able to reply, he froze as Balsa hand touch his hair, He choked on his breath as he felt like his life was about to be sucked from him. he sighed in relief as he felt Balsa let go, after he recovered from the ordeal he watched her as she left in a hurry.
"Oi, Kurosaki!" he heard Kagine call out to him.
"Sorry, it will never happen again." he said and Kagine nodded his head at that and followed Balsa, all the while Ichigo was narrowing his eyes at the place Balsa had gone to.
"Kurosaki-Kun?." Inoue called out and he sighed and shook his head.
"Not now Inoue." with that he stood up and ran to the place he saw Balsa headed to.
Balsa decided to leave the school to go get some coffee to ease her nerves. She sat at a table and stared at her hands, it was her curse, to never touch anyone, she remembered what happened when she held a bunny at her young age, cat in her teenage years. When she touched friends and family. Anyone. They would breathe heavily because she was a leech. A energy leech. She clenched her fists and looked at the dull brown liquid in her mug. It was so calming yet so dull.
She suddenly felt that unsettling feeling.
Ichigo saw Balsa sitting in a cafe and he sighed at her sad look, he then felt the same unsettling feeling again and narrowed his eyes, only for it to disappear again.
Ichigo looked at the task now at hand, It was the first day in school so he could skip without worrying about missing something important. he then entered the cafe and took his seat across Balsa looking at her with a narrowed eyes then he sighed.
"You know you can tell me anything, right?" he told her, after all she had replaced his mother when she had died leaving him alone, so he owed Balsa a lot, if only she wouldn't be stubborn and tell him what is wrong.
The salmon haired woman only sipped her coffee as an answer. She then sighed in contentment. "I have no idea what you are talking about, Ichigo." She said calmly. "But if you do not get to school right now I will be forced to report you to the principal. I know we go way back but I still must do my job, which is ensuring my students are doing good in school and are safe."
Ichigo looked at her, sighed and nodded his head softly. "If you change your mind you know where to find me." with that he stood up and headed back to school, he knew that he couldn't press the issue here or Balsa will become even more guarded around him, he will give her a few days then ask her again. Not during school though lest she use that for an excuse yet again.
Ichigo heard a howl then froze, he then saw a black butterfly floating through the air, he just shook his head. "Stupid imagination." he grumbled as he headed to the school, trying to ignore the sound of screaming.
'Ichigo...'
Ichigo stiffened and looked around him only to see nothing. ' Am I losing my mind?'
Balsa too heard a howl, but she ignored it. Thinking it too was her imagination. The door opened to the cafe and she saw a man with wavy brunette short hair with black framed glasses, he looked sophisticated, he wore a ash suit and a white checkered scarf. 'Why am I staring?' She then looked back to her coffee.
She then settled at looking out the window to see a black butterfly.
The man looked at Balsa then smiled actually it was more of a smirk than a smile. he walked to her table and cleared his throat, sitting without giving Balsa the chance to speak much less react. he gave her his most charming smile. "Hello my lady. My name Is...Ai. and you are?" he said and frowned on the inside, he nearly blew his cover. though on the outside he just continued to smile.
Balsa stared at the strange man, "Balsa." She said calmly, her eyes appeared to be listless. But she was the opposite I assure you. She sipped her coffee and waited for him to leave. She was never good with people, it was bad enough she had to speak to the whole student body at Karakura high school. She still had the jitters. Well for some reason she felt worst around this man.
Perhaps because he was a stranger?
Aizen hid his smirk with a polite smile as he saw how Balsa was fidgeting in her seat. "You know. I am new here, so maybe you could help me?" Aizen wanted to laugh at the woman's narrowed eyes but he shrugged it. just when he was about to stand and drag Balsa a voice stopped him.
"Hey babe! who is this?"
Aizen turned around only to see Kurosaki Ichigo glaring at him with suspicious eyes.
"Uh, Kurosaki why did you call me such an inappropriate name?" She said with narrowed eyes. "Getting back on topic this man is new around Karakura town, his name is Ai." Balsa then calmly stretched. "And since you are back yet again, you can show around or I can report you to the school your choice."
Ichigo wondered If he should face palm at that answer she gave. I mean seriously! didn't she take the hint that he gave her?
He could see Ai glaring at him and he glared in return. He didn't like the look that 'Ai' shot him.
Ichigo tried to smile he really did, but it appeared more of a scowl, with that he walked until he stood near Balsa, he already could feel more than see the death glare that was shooting his way by a very pissed off Ai.
Ichigo them smile dangerously and started dragging Balsa away, running out of the door. "You can report me later!" he said as he ran with Balsa in tow away from that strange person.
Balsa stared at Ai as they left, 'He does appear to be a quite a suspicious character.' She thought as she finally returned her attention to Ichigo, "You put yourself in danger, I was in the middle of interrogating him. I work as an officer at night time after all."
The two sat outside a convenience store and sat drinking beverages. Balsa a cold coffee and Ichigo a strawberry milk.
Ichigo laughed at that as he put his milk down. "Leave it to you to interrogate someone, when you look scared out of your mind." he hummed at that then frown. "Though I am glad I came back. Something was wrong and I'm sure you felt it, Right?"
Ichigo then sighed softly as he look at the cars that was passing them, maybe it was that fake smile or something. But that man had rubbed him up in the wrong way.
"You should have left it to the professionals regardless, it is for your own safety, Kurosaki Ichigo." She said as the light above them flashed on and off. She saw Urahara Kisuke's shadow at the corner of her eye. 'Hmmmm, something is wrong if Urahara-san is watching me.'
Luckily Ichigo was not looking so he did not notice.
