CM: Alright, so just to let you all know, this is a High School AU of Bleach. We were bored and wanted to try something new.

Disclaimer: We do not own any of the characters of Bleach, only our two OCs.

Chapter 1: First Day of School

Shinji never imagined he would have to go back to high school. AGAIN. The first time had been when he'd attempted to recruit that Kurosaki kid. Not so much luck with that, but hey, you couldn't win em all. Now, however, he was going back for an entirely new set of reasons. And they all took form in the teenage girl who now walked beside him. His boss's newly adopted daughter.

He still wasn't fully sure why his boss decided to adopt her, or any kid for that matter. Didn't he have bigger things to think of? Even if he did want a child, a male would've been more suitable. Still... at least she was cute, albeit a bit odd.

"You excited about your first day?" He asked her, wanting to break the mundane silence that had been hovering between them since they departed for school.

"I suppose so." She didn't sound very excited. "Honestly, I don't know what to expect."

"Well, a lot of homework for one," he muttered, rubbing his already aching scalp with dread. "Sheesh, I'm getting too old for this."

"You don't look very old," she said blatantly, staring at him with grey eyes that reminded him of an overcast day.

"I may not look it but I am," he told her with a shrug. He thought her eyes were quite pretty...at least they would be if he was able to read anything from them. As he couldn't, he actually found himself hating those eyes. "Alright so if you're not excited then what do you think you'll have to do?"

"Not sure," she answered non-committaly. "It'll be school...it'll be different."

Shinji sighed. He was getting nothing out of this kid. What on earth did his boss see in such an unenthusiastic and strange girl? He supposed it didn't matter, he had to watch her and that was it.

They lapsed into another awkward silence that lasted until they reached the school building. Shinji was happy for the chance to have other things take her attention, but secretly expected nothing to.

"Well, we're here," he told her with a large grin. "Good luck getting to know everyone."

She looked around her, taking in everything in immediate view; the school building, the students wandering about or standing in groups chatting, the grounds. It was hard to tell what she was thinking, but at least she didn't seem displeased.

"Is this the first time you attended a school?" Shinji asked her curiously. He really didn't know anything about her other than up until recently she was a teen orphan.

She shook her head. "No…" For a moment it seemed as though she might elaborate on that, but then thought better of it.

Geez, it'd be nice if she at least had some bodily ticks to go off of. So far though he'd yet to see any of those either. He scratched his fingers through his flaxen hair. "Well, come on then. Let's go find our homeroom."

The girl smiled up at him. "Alright."

The pair entered the building and traveled down the hall, the girl looking at everything with the same blank expression. Eventually they made it to a room with a sign over the door saying 1-2. "Here we are," Shinji murmured opening the door and allowing her to enter first.

As she did so, a few of the students that were already inside looked up at her in wonder. Whispers quickly began to spread, mostly between the women but a few of the guys were too.

"Well, go find a seat and try to talk to someone," he told her giving her a light push into the room. "Try and make yourself one friend today."

She looked up at him and frowned a little. "You're not coming with me?"

His face split into a toothy grin. "Don't worry. I'll be around if you need me."

She stared at him for a few moments before glancing around the room. There was a small group of girls standing around talking. One had short, boy cut hair, another had really large breasts and orange hair. The third wore glasses and had dark red hair that curled up at the ends. There were also a few boys. Three were together, talking. Well, the really loud one was talking while the other two were listening. The orange haired boy didn't really look all that interested. Two other boys were sitting by themselves, one appeared foreign with his dark skin and scraggily dark hair, and large build. The other was a dark haired boy wearing glasses. As she stood inspecting him, he must have felt her gaze, because piercing blue eyes lifted to meet hers.

He looked at her for a few moments before he turned to face the front. She slowly walked forward into the room and sat down next to the glasses wearing boy. He didn't acknowledge that she'd sat beside him but kept facing the front. She watched him for a few minutes before the door near the front opened and an older man walked in.

He was in his mid to late 20's with long dark hair and a silver clip in his hair.

He was tall and had a serious look about him.

"All of you are to sit and remain silent," he stated dropping a large book on his desk and forcing everyone to look up at him. "We will be starting with the lesson now."

"Kuchiki sensei!" one of the girls piped up. She had black hair and wide midnight blue eyes. "I don't mean to interrupt but… we have a new student. Isn't it appropriate to allow them to introduce themselves first?"

The entire class stayed dead still, unsure of how the teacher would react. He picked up a clipboard with a sheet of names on it and glanced over it. "Mikoto Urahara," he said stiffly before his eyes settled on the new student. "Stand up and introduce yourself."

The girl with twin braids slowly stood up and turned to the class. "It's a pleasure to meet you all." She said with a smile and she bowed. "Please take care of me."

The class looked her over as she introduced herself and a stream of whispers broke out. "Urahara, does that mean she's related to that guy?" a few girls murmured to each other.

Mikoto noted that the boy with the orange locks was staring at her in an odd fashion...almost as if he was wary of her. The whisperings and giggles continued throughout the room until the instructor dropped the book on his desk once more.

"The introduction is over," he said firmly as his gunmetal grey eyes focused on the new girl for a moment. "Miss Urahara you may now take your seat. All of you, pull out your books and turn to chapter 1. We start, now."

A few groans left some of the students as they all pulled their books out of their bags and began flipping pages. Meanwhile the teacher had turned and began writing some numbers up on the board. Math class was just getting started.

Mikoto attempted to copy down all of the notes as the teacher began to explain the formulas written, but she soon found her interest drifting. She glanced around the room, seeing if there were any more interesting people she might have missed. At first no one really caught her eye, then she noticed something peculiar. In the farthest corner of the room was someone whom she hadn't noticed upon first entering. A girl… or perhaps a boy? They had very plain brown hair and dark eyes, and not so tan but not so pale skin.

How come she hadn't noticed this person before? Usually she noticed anyone and everyone in her vicinity. Just as the person's gaze met hers, she suddenly felt a sting as something hit her on the side of the head. She looked to see a piece of chalk bounce onto the floor. Then she looked to see the teacher staring right at her.

"Unless you have eyes in the back of your head, I suggest you face forward and pay attention," he said calmly.

Mikoto offered him a contrite smile and nodded. "Yes, sensei."

"Huh, well what do you know, the new kid noticed you," the strange person Mikoto had stared at thought to themselves. The person's eyes had been drawn to the new kid right away, mostly because of who'd been accompanying her but also because she was new. "So, Mikoto Urahara, let's see who you are."

The person's mouth tilted in the smallest almost imperceptible smile imaginable. Their name? Temara. That's all she'd ever give out.

It's not that she hated her last name or anything, but generally people forget you easier if the first name is all you know. Being forgettable is all she really wanted.

She watched the teacher rattle on about the different formulas, her face in a deadpan. Her eyes having no emotion behind the shoulder length locks of her brown hair. No one ever saw her.

In between taking notes and listening to the teacher's lecture, Temara observed the new girl. She looked like your typical high school female, with ridiculously long hair. She also wore glasses, giving off the impression of book worm; but of course that wasn't always true. Yeah… pretty typical. Though it was odd how unabashed she seemed at getting something thrown at her and then rebuked in front of the whole class.

She also didn't seem the shy type with the way she so forwardly addressed the class. Temara rubbed the inside of her teeth with her tongue. Seemed a one hour observation wouldn't cut it with this one.

She inwardly cursed when the new girl stole a quick glance back to her. It took a moment but she found her again. Temara diverted her gaze, waited then checked to see the new girl facing front again. She snickered inwardly. She learns fast. Any longer than that and Kuchiki-sensei would have tossed an eraser next.

When the class was over, the students all got up to leave and Temara with them. She paused, however, when she heard Kuchiki sensei order Mikoto to stay behind. Thinking it'd be a good chance to see what's what, she paused next to the open door and behind one of the large cupboards.

"Miss Urahara," she heard him begin as soon as the last student was gone. "I've heard a lot about you from your adoptive father. I will not have any issues with you in this class. The moment I get a complaint about you I will be dealing out punishment. Do you understand?"

"Of course, Kuchiki sensei," she heard Mikoto reply without any inflection. "I completely understand."

He looked her over for a few moments before waving her off. "Good."

At the end of the conversation, Temara silently slipped through the doorway and continued down the hall next to a group of students that happened to be passing. "So, she was Urahara sensei's daughter," she thought making a mental note to write that down when she got the chance. She had to wonder why a teacher who'd never before shown interest in having a child suddenly obtained one. The very notion made her more curious. She had to know more.

The rest of the day proceeded normally for Mikoto. She had to admit the teachers at this school were far more unusual than the other schools she'd been to. She was fairly certain her second period history teacher, Kyoraku sensei, had been hitting on her while introducing her to the class. Biology had been rather interesting, and Kurotsuchi seemed to absolutely love what he did. By far though, her favorite class had been literature. The teacher, Ukitake sensei, had been very smiling and genial towards her. He'd seemed very pleased to have her there, though she wondered how long that would last.

As she left class and headed for the lunchroom, she heard her name called out in the hallway.

"Mikoto!"

She turned, wondering who it could be. Other than Shinji, she didn't know anyone there. A male with dark, spiked hair and a scar over his left eye stopped in front of her, looking her over.

"I knew it! It is you."

Mikoto stared at him nonplussed. "Who are you?"

"It's me, Shuuhei Hisagi," he said, putting his hands to his chest. "We grew up in the same orphanage."

"Oh…" Mikoto said in sudden remembrance. Then without changing her expression she said. "I remember… you were the boy who was always crying."

His cheeks darkened and he coughed. "Yeah… well, believe me I've changed. What about you? You don't look like the violent little kid I remember."

She gave a slow shrug of her shoulders and smiled a little. "I guess I've changed too."

"So, I'm assuming that you've finally been adopted," he murmured looking her over. "You probably wouldn't be here if you hadn't been. You never really struck me as the studious type."

She shrugged in response and the two stared at each other for awhile. Shuhei was a bit awkward about it though.

"So, who'd you end up getting adopted by?"

"Some store owner named Kisuke Urahara," she answered calmly.

"Urahara...as in Urahara sensei?" he asked in surprise.

Mikoto nodded. "I was also perplexed, though honestly I question both his motives and his intentions."

Shuhei gave a nervous laugh. "You're kidding, right?" She stared at him wordlessly and he sweat dropped. "O-kay… well anyway, you're headed to lunch, right? Why don't we go together and the two of us can catch up?"

"Don't you have other friends?" She wasn't asking to be mean, but she couldn't figure why he would choose to spend time with her just because they were both from the same orphanage.

"Well, sure," he muttered with a shrug. "But… well, you're new and all so I figured… and it has been a long time…" the more he talked, the more flustered he seemed to become.

After a few moments, Mikoto smiled. "Alright, let's get lunch together." Shinji did after all tell her to make at least one friend. With this she would meet her quota.

"Great," he exclaimed wrapping an arm around her shoulders and leading her off towards the lunch room. When they arrived he introduced her to a few people all sitting around a table. Two were wearing the second year uniform like he was, one was wearing the first year, and the last was wearing the third year.

"Mikoto, these are my friends. Kira, Hinamori, the red head there is Renji (he's a first year) and whitey there is Hitsugaya (he's a third year). Guys, this is Mikoto, she's an old friend from that orphanage."

Hinamori and Kira both offered her warm and friendly greetings while the shorter one gave a small, 'humph' and glanced away.

"A fellow stray, huh?" The red head stated with a wide grin. He stretched out a tattooed arm, offering his hand for a shake. "Put er there."

"Don't be so crass, Renji," Hinamori lightly scolded.

"Indeed, I'm not sure calling a young lady a 'stray' is the best way to make a good first impression," Kira said in mild disapproval.

Renji flushed and was about to mutter an apology but Mikoto shook her head. "I don't mind. After all, until recently that's exactly what I was."

"What do you mean until recently?" Renji asked curiously.

"Turns out she was adopted by Urhara sensei," Shuuhei explained with a shrug. "Go figure right?"

"Wow, what's that like living with that guy?" Renji asked thoroughly intrigued.

"I believe he means, what sort of a father figure is he," Kira amended politely.

"He's interesting," she answered vaguely. "Maybe a little protective."

"Well, what parent isn't, right?" Hinamori said with a small laugh.

Mikoto wondered about that. Her eyes gave a quick sweep of the lunchroom before finding who they were looking for. Just like he promised, Shinji was nearby. She suspected he had been all day. Mikoto wasn't a hundred percent sure, but she wondered if her foster father had asked him to watch her, most likely to make sure she didn't cause any serious problems.

No surprise… considering how they had met…

A few months prior Mikoto had recently become orphaned again. She was becoming used to being unwanted. She supposed her 'bad habits' didn't exactly help, but she couldn't change who she was. At least she wasn't one of those psycho children who lit their homes on fire. Only problem was, that's exactly the type of child people thought she was. All because she knew how to control her thoughts and feelings, and that scared people.

Thankfully the orphanage she resided at gave her some leeway as to where she could go in her free time, but they were very strict about the curfew.

She had unique ways of spending her free time. Her latest interest was a shop she'd accidentally stumbled upon while wondering. It didn't look unusual on the outside, and if you didn't know about it, it'd be an easy thing to miss. On the inside, however, the selections were vast and eclectic. It soon became her new favorite place to browse… and sometimes more than that.

Occasionally she'd find something small that she really liked and would take it. Each time, the owner had realized she'd taken something and attempted to get it back by asking for it and then having the young girl, Ururu, search her. Each time they came up empty handed.

Then one day, Urahara paid special close attention to her as she entered and finally caught sight of her slipping a bit of odd looking jewelry into her mouth. As she began to leave, he stopped her. "Alright, now I want you to return what you took," he told her calmly. He kept the smile on his face but his demeanor made her feel like he wasn't pleased.

"I didn't take anything," she told him as easily as she did all the rest of the times. "Go ahead and search."

"Oh, I will," he stated calmly. Next thing she knew he slammed the heel of his palm into her gut. The force caused for her to lose her breath and the item she'd swallowed flew out of her mouth.

She coughed a few times, and her knees wobbled slightly from the force of the blow. She had not been prepared for that.

"Hm, that's a very interesting hiding place," he commented, bending down and picking the piece of jewelry back up. "Is this how you've been sneaking all of my items?"

Mikoto didn't say anything, didn't do anything to betray whether or not she had. Nothing to say she was sorry, or guilty, or even scared. She was very composed as she asked him, "Is there someplace you want me to sit while you call the police?"

At her question he actually let out a small chuckle. "I don't think that'll be necessary," he said reaching up and lightly rubbing the top of her head. "Run along home now."

Her eyes flickered a little in surprise, but a moment later she nodded and left the shop. She had found it odd the shop keeper hadn't chosen to have her arrested. Hadn't even asked for his things back. How queer.

"Sir, are you sure you just want to let her go?" his assistant Tessai asked as they watched her leave.

"Now whoever said anything about that?" Urahara replied with a sly smile.

After this encounter, he had taken it upon himself to go visit the orphanage she lived at. He spoke with the owners before having a long conversation with Mikoto. When they were finished she found herself being adopted and taken to the store owner's home.

She didn't question it and didn't argue, but she knew that something wasn't right. At the very least she was sure he had alternate reasons for wanting to adopt her.

Either way, she ended up spending the next two months at the new house until she was finally sent off to school.

To start her new life…

CM: So, that's chapter one. Let us know how we did! The number of reviews will help us decide whether our not to continue with this. Hope you enjoyed!