"Have you seen the new girl?"
"Lyla-chan swears she saw her this morning in the office."
"I've heard she's some sort of genius sent here from one of the poorer provinces to boost our ranking in th…"
Ichigo let out a gruff snort in the general direction of the group that had just passed his seat. Did these people really have so little to do that one new student could create so much commotion and excitement among their ranks? Choosing to ignore the excited whispers behind him, Ichigo leaned his head back into his hands and closed his eyes. He was just beginning to relax when Rukia appeared, leading the rest of their school friends.
"… not that it should make any difference, Kiego," Rukia was saying in an irritated voice.
"I want the chance to speak with her," Ishida interrupted, "her intellect is said to be nothing less than astounding." The rest of the group just ogled at Ishida for a moment before bursting into hysterics. Their reaction brought a light flush to Ishida's cheeks, but he said nothing in return.
"Sure, sure Ishida. Anyway, I haven't seen her yet, but she is said to be more beautiful than, than… ," Kiego sighed and stared off into oblivion.
"Ugh, not you guys, too," Ichigo cracked an eye to glance sideways at his friends before continuing, "That's all I've been hearing about all day!"
At Ichigo's insolent tone, Kiego leapt up into a hero's pose. "I will not stand for this belittling outburst against my beloved. How dare you decry the magnificent…" here Kiego floundered and grinned sheepishly at his friends. Ichigo glared at him but said nothing as the rest once again burst into hysterics, this time because of Kiego.
"Some love," Ishida sniffed, "You don't even know her name." This, of course, started Orihime on a rant concerning all the (not-so-obvious) possibilities for the girl's name. Ichigo sighed and resigned to ignore his friends' irritating chattering for just a little longer. He relaxed, reclining his head once again and letting his eyes slip shut. However, in the middle of Orihime's guessing, a sudden hush fell over the entire room. The sudden silence caused Ichigo to start and he jerked forward in his chair, his eyes snapping open. His immediate reaction was to reach out with a sudden flare of his reiatsu and scan the room for obvious signs of a hollow. He halted, however, once his eyes swept past the doorway.
At the front of the classroom stood a creature more magnificent than any he could have imagined. Her form was slim and lithe; impeccably dressed in tight blue jeans and a silver sweater, she stood before the class, regarding them with a dreamy stare. Most shocking of all was not her slim physique or designer clothes, but her physical features. Her skin was pale, milk-white and absolutely flawless… Ichigo's observations were halted at that moment by the appearance of their teacher. The students immediately began whispering in hushed voices as they scrambled to their seats. The girl handed the teacher a note without a word, or really acknowledging him, and turned to face the class once again. Everything from her actions to her posture emanated a cool confidence. Ichigo noticed that even the teacher seemed to balk at the girl for a moment before recovering his senses and staring down at the note in his trembling hands. "Ahh, yes! We have been expecting you Miss… Miss…" The teacher faltered and looked to the girl uncertainly.
"Niniana. My name is Niniana."
*****
A sudden rush of late-autumn breeze caught her by surprise and she nearly laughed for joy as it seized her hair and whipped it around her face. The breeze latched onto the fibers of her clothes and pulled at them, seemingly begging her to give up control of her limbs and follow in its dance. And so she allowed her body to be pushed forward and back, and to and fro by the wind. Still smiling, Niniana twirled gracefully on the spot, undoing the damage the wind had caused to her appearance. She realized too late that perhaps she had done so a bit too gracefully when she noticed several groups of high school students gaping, open-mouthed, at her from around the parking lot. Ducking her head, Niniana continued towards her destination. This time, she was more careful to contain her delight as she stared in wonder at the bright sky and the light that cast dancing shadows across the ground, illuminating to tiniest, sparkling particles within the pavement. For having grown up in such splendor, humans really are drab creatures.
The high school's concrete exterior loomed before her as she climbed the steps to the entrance. One last time, she checked herself. Dressed in the appropriate style… hair and clothing in place… all necessary documentation filed… powers carefully masked… Taking one final breath of fresh air, she continued into the building. As she walked down the corridor, all the students cleared a wide path for her, as if on instinct. Niniana ignored their open stares, poorly-concealed gestures, and obvious whispering and sighed inwardly… Today will be a very long day. Inside the office, all the windows were open and sunshine poured into the room from outside. At least some of the humans cannot stand to let go of summer's freedom yet, either. Niniana smiled to herself. She approached the desk and was immediately halted by a single raised index finger from the secretary.
"Just a moment, if you don't mind" the woman stated gruffly, struggling to collect and sort notes while answering the telephone. Niniana decided she didn't mind at all and chose to take a moment to study the creatures in the room with her. They bustled back and forth hurriedly, not taking any time to acknowledge one another or their surroundings. Humans really are a strange bunch. They have so little time on this Earth, and yet they squander it in dark rooms, hunched over cramped desks… So caught in her thoughts was Niniana, that she did not at once realize that the grouchy woman was addressing her.
"Well? Come on dear, I haven't got all da…" She halted, midway through her statement as she glanced up to peer at Niniana over her glasses. Niniana mentally rolled her eyes. She had tried to mask her appearance as thoroughly as she had masked her powers, but she just wasn't meant to look like a human… The woman stared up at her and Niniana could easily read the wonder, envy, and, most of all, absolute terror in her eyes. So this one is a bit more susceptible than the rest. I'll have to keep my distance from her, if only to prevent her from becoming suspicious. To avoid further disturbing the woman, Niniana ducked her head and slowly raised her hand to pass over her paperwork. As the woman reached out to take the stack of papers with trembling hands, Niniana made sure to carefully avoid making contact with the woman's skin. Tearing her gaze from Niniana with difficulty, the woman glanced briefly at the paperwork before her. When everything passed her quick inspection, she pressed a pass, a schedule, and a map into Niniana's waiting hands and wordlessly returned to her work. Niniana couldn't help the quiet chuckle that left her lips. Perhaps this will be a bit more interesting than I had anticipated…
Out in the hallway, Niniana found herself, once again, among the masses of students. Instead of waiting for the bell to ring, she began in the direction of one of the smaller hallways that branched off of the main one. Anything to get away from all this attention… With her back turned, Niniana did not see the approaching group of students, but she did sense them. It was difficult to explain, no mortal would ever understand this particular ability of hers. Within her mind, she could sense, feel, smell, see, and touch the consciousnesses of everyone around her. She could hear their every thought and feel their every emotion. At times like these, where such a great number of minds were packed into so small of space, Niniana began to feel anxious. It became more difficult for her to filter through all the information at an efficient rate. And the number of thoughts, feelings, and images could easily overwhelm her If she was not careful. So, as the group approached her from behind, Niniana closed her senses, turning the flood of imagery into a trickle of essential information collected from the consciousnesses around her and turned to face them just as they opened their mouths to greet her.
"Hello, my name is Niniana. I'm new to this area and to this school. It is a pleasure to meet you and I hope that we may come to enjoy one another's company." The students merely gaped at her in wonder and said nothing. Confounded, Niniana smiled again and left without another word to carve an open path down the corridor. The students merely stared after her before dispersing and wandering in any random direction, their previous conversations and destinations forgotten.
Niniana walked hurriedly down the hallway. She had seen it in their minds. To them, she may be devastatingly beautiful, but she was also foreign and terrifying. Within their minds, she had felt their shock and awe. The sharp, refined quality of her features and the intense gleam in her eyes left her looking nothing less than feral. She resolved to calm her face and to slow her movements. She resolved to blend into the masses around her… she could do this…
*****
"Niniana. My name is Niniana." Niniana said this slowly and in a clear voice to the students assembled before her. She didn't make eye contact with any of them, but instead chose to stare blankly at a cobweb in the back corner of the classroom. She smiled softly at the wondrous nature of the structure, admiring each fragile strand. Such frail beauty constructed by one so small… truly, it is a wonder. How she wished she could fade into the background, like those dusty filaments. She paid no attention to the teacher as he continued to introduce her to the class, but as he spoke Niniana's eyes panned from left to right, sweeping across the students of the class. With a start, Niniana started at the beginning and filed through the room again, this time paying more attention to the reiatsu of each individual. The majority of the students seemed to possess reiatsu of no significance. To her eyes, they appeared to shimmer faintly in their seats. Their pitiful amounts of reiatsu too weak and insubstantial to register something as great as she. They would remain completely unaware of her true nature. But… here and there, a few exceptions were to be found. Scattered about the classroom were a few individuals with a great deal more reiatsu than was normal. A dark-haired boy with a pinched face and glasses in the front row… a tanned giant in the back… a busty red-head sitting alongside a tom-boyish female… a girl with piercing grey eyes and black hair that reached her shoulders… and finally, the one that had caught her eye in the first place… For the others, although above average, were nothing worth her interest. They glowed, illuminated like candles in a darkened room. But this boy, who was all shocking orange hair, angular features, and scowling eyes had a reiatsu that shone like a beacon to her.
The teacher behind her was still blundering on about "welcoming with open arms…" as Niniana started forward in the direction of light, now oblivious to everyone else in the room. She immediately saw that she had caught his eye as well. He was staring openly, wonder evident in his gaze. But Niniana was shocked to see that there was no fear in his eyes. With a reiatsu like that, he should be able to sense my… otherness… easily! Indeed, his friends are already on the alert… Niniana chuckled as the dark-haired boy and girl stiffened as she passed their seats. Upon reaching the boy, Niniana stopped in front of him, but said nothing. They continued to look at one another intently, oblivious to the stares of their classmates, but she could see that he was beginning to have some difficulty maintaining her gaze. Within her mind, she could feel the dark-haired girl's anxiety. Be careful, Ichigo… she might be dangerous. So please don't do anything stupid or… The girl didn't have time to finish though, because at that moment, Ichigo decided he had had enough.
"What the hell do you want" he raged suddenly, looking at Niniana as if she might be stupid. Niniana chuckled again. This IS going to be fun…
"Hello, Ichigo. My name is Niniana. I would like very much to sit next to you…" as Niniana said this, she watched the boy's face curiously, clearly enjoying his reaction. He visibly blanched at the use of his name and could only stare open-mouthed at her as she slid silently and gracefully into the seat next to him. She continued to watch him, a wry smile plastered on her face, her eyes never leaving his face.
*****
Ichigo began to feel the first rumblings of unease well within him. She stared at him openly and unabashedly, a scary intensity gleaming from the depths of her eyes. Finally, he couldn't meet her gaze any longer and had to turn away to face the front of the room. He could feel her eyes blazing holes into the side of his face, and blanched further when he heard her chuckle darkly. For the remainder of the period, Ichigo tried to focus on the teacher's lecture, but he only heard every few words. He was also vaguely aware of the fact that Rukia was attempting to subtly attract his attention, but the majority of his attention was focused on the girl beside him. He had not turned to face her since he had looked away, but he could tell she was still watching him intently. Finally, towards the end of the class, he heard her sigh and it was suddenly as if a great pressure had been lifted from his mind. Without meaning to, he immediately turned in her direction, expecting to meet her gaze once more… But, upon turning, he was met with a flowing curtain of hair. For some unknown reason, his stomach churned with disappointment at this development. Wait… disappointment?! Why should I be disappointed that that crazy has finally stopped gawking at me like some loony?! I'm not any better than the rest of those infernal, gossiping, nit-wits…
Ichigo's only consolation, Not that I need consoling… was that, with the girl's back turned, he had the opportunity to study his neighbor in earnest. The first thing he noticed was how startlingly slim she was. Her feet were crossed beneath the desk and her legs, pressed together, seemed to travel for miles before reaching her narrow hips and slim waist. Her thin arms were crossed across the surface of the desk. All her body was unnaturally still, except for the very tips of her fingers, which were dancing along the desk, tracing intricate, invisible designs on its surface. The tapering fingers seemed to move with a mind of their own and this caused Ichigo to glance at the girl's face to see if she was paying any attention to her fingers' activities. But, as soon as he looked to her face, all previous thoughts and intentions were erased from his consciousness. In the glow of the afternoon sun's last rays, her porcelain skin was stained an elaborate combination of yellows, oranges, and reds. Her eyes stared into the distance, seemingly unaffected by the glare of the sun. She began to turn to face him once again, but Ichigo found that he was unable to turn from her. Instead, he found his attention drawn to her hair, whose silken silver strands were flowing over her shoulders with a soft swishing sound. Her eyes were closed as she finally faced him. Her long lashes skimming along her impossibly high cheekbones before she opened her eyes. Ichigo's mouth fell open as he stared into her eyes. She looked to him with a heavy-lidded gaze, her eyes the deepest, darkest, clearest blue he had ever seen. She smiled softly at him, and flashed him a view of her perfectly straight pearly whites. An intense, crackling energy seemed to bubble up from the depths of her eyes and she suddenly seemed so foreign. Here was someone unlike any other Ichigo had ever met. Ichigo found that he could only stare as her lips parted and she exhaled slowly, releasing a gentle puff of breath the ghosted across his cheek and sent a shiver down his spine. He could feel himself leaning forward, being drawn into the depth of her eyes and the intoxicating scent that radiated from her skin. He saw her eyes shift to focus on something just behind him and he nearly whimpered, wanting her attention to return to him and only him. This shook Ichigo from his stupor a little and he found that he was disgusted with himself. To have such a pathetic reaction… A battle raged within him, then. He shook his head and pulled away from her a bit. She's different, there's no denying that. But, is she dangerous? She's given no indication that she's anything more than an exceedingly beautiful, and strange, girl…
*****
Niniana noticed when Ichigo tensed beside her. Perhaps he is beginning to get the idea… she thought with an inward chuckle. She reached out to his consciousness and dove into his thoughts. She felt a little disappointed when she met no resistance to the intrusion. Guess he's not quite powerful enough for that, yet. From his mind, she was able to glean his general thoughts about her. Anxiety… excitement… curiosity… all normal reactions. She could also tell that he was debating whether or not she was dangerous… this could be an interesting direction to take…
Ichigo watched as her eyes suddenly brightened and her smile spread even further across her face.
"Not at all, Ichigo," Niniana said slyly as she watched him balk, "At least not for a Shinigami as powerful, experienced, and celebrated as yourself…" Without waiting for a response, Niniana rose gracefully to her feet just a second before the bell rang, but Ichigo didn't notice at all as the rest of his classmates headed for the door. "I'll be seeing you again soon, Kurosaki Ichigo," she said as she melted into the sea of their classmates.
*****
"I knew she was dangerous from the start," Rukia was saying as they stood outside the school building. They had automatically congregated there, each thinking they had the most disturbing news to tell. Chad and Orihime watched silently as Rukia and Ishida bickered about the exact quality and quantity of the strange girl's reiatsu. Ichigo was too trapped by his own musings to pay much attention to the others. As nervous as the rest of his friends were about Niniana's sudden appearance, none of them could possibly understand how he felt at the moment. She knew I'm a Shinigami…
"But it was HUGE, Ishida," Rukia continued, "And I'm sure she was masking the majority of it. So if that is the case, we're in even greater trouble!"
"Wait, Rukia," Ichigo suddenly interrupted. "Just how big was her reiatsu?"
"Even as it was, masked here in the real world… it was… unbelievable… far larger than even your own. Ishida and I were completely crippled by it. But surely even you could have told that much…" Rukia said with an involuntary shudder.
"I didn't feel anything," Ichigo stated numbly. Before he could stop himself, Ichigo was raging, revealing what had him so distracted, "Argghhh! How did she know my name and, more importantly, that I'm a Shinigami?!" He slammed his fist into the wall beside them and leant his forehead against the cool stucco.
"What," all of his friends exclaimed in unison.
"Ichigo, this is bad," Rukia said in a hushed voice. She continued to look panic-stricken as she whipped out her cell phone, flipped it open, and punched a series of digits into the keypad before walking away from the group.
Ichigo watched her walk away, but couldn't bring himself to care. His mind was completely focused on his memories of that afternoon. Even after all his friends' testimonials, he couldn't bring himself to think that Niniana was bad or dangerous. The image of her eyes locked onto his was haunting him and he shivered in the early-evening chill. I want, no, need to know more…
*****
Niniana stood atop the roof of the building across the street from the Kurosaki's clinic. From her vantage point, she could look directly into the upstairs bedroom of the house. She smiled gently as the shock of vibrant orange hair tossed from side to side; something caused Ichigo to whimper softly in his sleep. She reached out with her mind, sending soothing tendrils of thought to the young boy. She heard him sigh and saw that his restless movements almost immediately ceased. She couldn't help the small smile that spread across her features once again. At that moment, a gust of wind swept across the rooftops and caused her garments to billow about her, dancing in the gale. Niniana sighed… It is wonderful to be able to dress in the vestments of my people once more… it has been a while. But then she caught the scent of something in the air. Her head snapped up and she whirled around to face the northeast. And just as the sun began to rise on the distant eastern horizon, Niniana was gone in a flash.
*****