The letter from Bleach Academy had been on the table when Ichigo went through the door. He threw his backpack aside and picked it up. He skimmed over it quickly before just tossing it back down. As soon as the paper touched the table again, the door opened and Yuzu entered.

"Ichigo?" she muttered. "Is that you?"

"Yeah... What's with that letter?"

"Some school's looking to have you enrolled... I wonder why..."

"I'm a good student," Ichigo replied. "Just an ordinary student." He walked past her as he left, going back to his bedroom. He looked at himself in the mirror, hanging from the closet. He frowned at the spiky orange hair that had characterized him for so long. He considered dying it. If he was going to a new school, he'd want to avoid this whole "Strawberry" nickname. But he quickly changed mind. Let them say what they want to; he'd kick their ass later, when they didnt' expect it! But no... He wasn't going anywhere...

"IIIIICHIIIIGOOOO!"

Almost instictively, Ichigo side-stepped as his father, Isshin, charged through the open window. Isshin's face hit the closet door and he slid down. However, as he often did, Isshin jumped back up, ready to attack once more. But Ichigo nonchalantly stuck his fist out and Isshin ran straight into it.

"Wow... Ichigo, you're getting stronger," Isshin said. "So, about this new school..."

"I'm not going."

"This isn't a discussion. Bleach Academy is a great school and I think you'd better go. I mean, why avoid greatness?"

"I've already got my friends at Karakura. Mizuiro and-"

"This isn't a discussion," Isshin repeated, his face uncharictaristically serious. "I think you'd better go, Ichigo. I won't let you pass up a chance like this. And, more importantly, I've already called ahead and told them to prepare your dormitory."

"Dormitory? It's a boarding school?"

"Exactly. I'll be honest, I didn't expect you to leave so soon, but I've got to let my kids blossom. So, you're going to Bleach Academy. There's a bus leaving from Karakura in two days, just for the better students. If you don't go, I'll have to drive you to Bleach Academy myself."

Ichigo frowned, but he knew when Isshin got serious, there was no point in arguing. Isshin soon left (once more through the window), leaving Ichigo to this thoughts. Ichigo laid back on his bed, which wouldn't be his bed for very much longer. He stared at the ceiling, wondering. What kind of place would Bleach Academy be? How many of his friends from Karakura be going? Would Ichigo be alone? Not that he was scared. He could handle himself just fine, thank you very much.

He sat there and thought until Yuzu came in, telling him that dinner was ready.


The two days elapsed far too quickly for Ichigo's liking. When it came time to leave, Karin (silently) and Yuzu and Isshin (both crying) saw Ichigo board the bus. He gave them a small wave, the duffel bag of clothes over his shoulder. He sat in the first empty seat he came to, and, almost instantly, someone else came and sat beside him.

"Who're you?" he asked.

The big, burly student looked over. He was tan-skinned, with wavy brown hair and an almost frightening build. He spoke with a somewhat deep voice that was not unkind. "Sorry. My name's Yasutora Sado."

"Yasutora... Sado..." Ichigo considered this, then spoke again. "Chad. That's an easier way to say that, isn't it?" The other teen looked away, apparently deep in thought himself.

"Hello," said a voice from the other side of the aisle. Ichigo looked over, around Chad, to see a relatively dark-haired boy, sitting there across the aisleway. His hair was dark, with bangs that reached his shoulders, and with glasses that he adjusted. He didn't seem to be speaking to Ichigo or Chad, but rather to the girl whom he sat next to.

"Hi," said the other girl. Her hair was orange-almost the same color as my hair, Ichigo realized-with a very curvy body for a girl her age. "My name's Orihime. What's yours?"

"Uryu... Uryu Ishida. It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you to, Uryu!" Orihime chimed pleasantly. She looked over Uryu to see Ichigo looking at her. "Hi! What's your name?" She pointed at him and Chad seemed to think she was pointing at him.

"Yasutora Sado..." he said in his deep voice.

"And I'm Ichigo," Ichigo said.

"Are you going to Bleach Academy too?"

"Yeah..." Chad said.

"Awesome! That means we'll be classmates!"

"Eh-hem!" said a voice over the bus's loudspeaker. Every student looked up and saw a man, dressed primarily in green with a green-and-white striped hat. He held the microphone in his hand. "My name's Kisuke Urahara and I'm going to be your bus driver to Bleach Academy. Just a word of advice. Old Man Yama's hard on troublemakers so try your best to stay out of trouble." He spoke playfully, almost the way Ichigo's father had. But he took his seat and Ichigo saw his father on the outside...