Brand new story, featuring my most favorite substitute shinigami (and the only one), Ichigo Kurosaki! I've actually had three chapters of this story saved on my laptop for a while, so I was excited when I found them buried in my folders. After a little editing, I finally deemed this one presentable. The title, Jakunen Hana, means Lonely Flower, just so you know. I thought it fit my OC, Shika Shiki, perfectly. I do NOT own Bleach, I merely own Shika. So, without further ado, sit back and enjoy the first chapter of Jakunen Hana!

A teenage girl, no older than 17, sat at her desk. She stared absentmindedly out the window as her teacher taught the class the newest lesson. The girl sighed and closed her eyes.

"Hey, Shika-chin*."

A poke to her shoulder woke her up. She looked over at the girl who had poked her. A nondescript girl with plain brown hair and plain brown eyes.

"Can I borrow a pencil? Mine broke."

Shika nodded and reached into her bag.

"Thanks, Shika-chin. I'll give it back after school."

Shika shrugged and turned back to the window.

"You can keep it, Kokoro."

"Really? Thanks!"

Shika nodded and continued to stare out the window. She wasn't a very talkative person. She tended to keep to herself most of the time. Whenever she did talk, she would be very blunt and honest. She wasn't one to dawdle when she had something to say.

"Hey, Shika-chin, the bell rang! Let's go to lunch~!"

Shika looked up and nodded. She started to follow Kokoro but was stopped by one of the male students. She vaguely recognized him from her class.

"You're…Makihara-kun, right?"

The boy nodded and blushed. Shika looked up at him with one delicate black eyebrow raised. She motioned for him to hurry up.

"Um…Shiki-chan, will you please go out with me?"

"You like me?"

The boy nodded and his blush worsened. He looked into her deep gray eyes and quickly looked away.

"Why?"

"Well, because…you're beautiful."

If Makihara was going to say anything after that, it was cleanly cut off when Shika slapped him. He looked down at her with wide eyes.

"Sh-Shiki-chan?"

Shika looked up at him with anger plainly written on her face.

"I really hate guys like you."

Shika walked away. Makihara was left staring after her while holding his bruising cheek. She walked to the sakura tree that she always ate under and saw Kokoro and saw her other friend Yuuki there. Yuuki was running her fingers through her mousy brown hair. Kokoro looked up when she heard Shika approaching.

"What took you so long, Shika-chin? I thought you were right behind me!"

"It was probably some guy who wanted to go out with Shikacchi**! Am I right, Shikacchi?"

Shika nodded and sat down. She leaned against the trunk of the sakura tree and closed her eyes.

"So, who was it this time, Shika-chin?"

"Makihara-kun."

"The boy who sits behind you? I thought he had a girlfriend…"

Shika shrugged and kept her eyes closed.

"Wow, Shikacchi, you even have power over boys who are taken!"

"That's because Shika-chin is the most beautiful girl in school~!"

Makihara exited the building, still holding his cheek, which was a deep red. Kokoro and Yuuki looked over and saw him.

"Is that him, Shikacchi?"

Shika opened one eye halfway and nodded.

"Yeah, that's Makihara-kun."

Kokoro noticed the way he was holding his face.

"Hey, why is he holding his cheek?"

"I slapped him."

Kokoro and Yuuki gasped and looked over at Shika.

"Why did you slap him, Shika-chin?"

"I hate guys like him."

"What do you mean, Shikacchi?"

Shika fully opened both eyes and ran a hand through her black hair.

"I mean, guys like him only like girls because they're pretty. I hate guys like that. Guys should like girls because they're sweet, or they're smart, or they're funny, not just because they have aesthetically pleasing faces or bodies. That's why I slapped him."

Yuuki looked amazed at the words that had just exited her friend's mouth.

"Wow, Shikacchi, that was a great speech~! I guess sometimes people get so caught up in your beauty that they forget you actually have brains!"

Shika looked over at Yuuki with a cold stare. Yuuki looked panicked.

"Sh-Shikacchi?"

"Yuuki, you don't think that way, do you?"

"W-Well, sometimes…"

Shika stood and brushed off her uniform skirt. She started heading back to the building.

"Shikacchi!"

"Shika-chin! Don't leave because of Yuuki!"

Shika went into the classroom and grabbed her bag. She threw the strap over her shoulder and left the building. She could hear Kokoro scolding Yuuki for what she said. Shika had decided to skip the rest of the day, so she left the school grounds and began walking toward her home. As she walked, she passed Karakura High School, where the students there were also eating their lunch. A group of four boys looked over as she walked by. One, a boy with brown hair, whistled at her.

"Damn, look at her! She's hot!"

A boy with bright orange hair looked at her for a second and then at the brown-haired boy.

"Shut up, Keigo."

"No way! I gotta talk to her!"

He ran over and stopped next to Shika.

"He-"

Shika quickly cut him off. She held up her hand in front of his mouth, preventing him from talking.

"Stop. Just don't even start trying to talk to me. I hate guys like you."

"But,-"

Shika slapped him and began walking away. She walked to her house which rested across the street from the Kurosaki Clinic. She had been there a few times, mostly whenever her older brother got hurt doing something stupid with his friends. She heard the phone ringing but made no move to pick it up. She set her bag down next to the door and slumped down on the couch.

"Hello, you have reached the Shiki residence. We are not able to take your call at this time, so please leave a message after the beep."

"SHIKACCHI!"

Shika flinched at the volume of Yuuki's voice.

"Hey, Shika-chin. Yuuki's really sorry for what she said earlier during lunch…"

"I really am, Shikacchi! Please forgive me!"

"Ow, Yuuki! That was my foot! Sorry, Shika-chin, we're in the bathroom right now…"

"Yeah, and it's really uncomfortable!"

"Shut up, Yuuki! Anyway, can you call me or her after school? She's staying at my house tonight, and she seems like she really wants to talk to you."

"I really do, Shikacchi! Please call!"

Shika looked over at the answering machine and sighed. She knew she had overreacted to what Yuuki said and she knew she'd have to call one of them once school ended. She laid down on the couch and turned on the television. Don Kanonji's show was on and she frowned immediately.

"Useless damn show…"

She quickly changed the channel and saw that the news was on. It wasn't her first choice of programming, but it would have to do until school was over. As she watched, she felt her eyelids grow heavy and she fell asleep to the sound of a report on a bank robbery.

When Shika woke up, she heard knocking on the door. She rubbed her eyes and sat up.

"How long was I asleep?"

She heard the knocking again and stood to answer the door. When she opened it, she saw the boy with bright orange hair from Karakura High. He looked slightly embarrassed. She looked at the sky and saw that it was turning an orange-purple color; the color of the sunset. She looked back at the orange-haired boy and frowned. She was a bit upset that her nap had been interrupted.

"Can I help you?"

"I wanted to apologize for the way my friend acted today… Well, he's not really my friend, but…"

"It's fine. It happens all the time. You didn't have to come over and apologize for him."

The phone began ringing but Shika paid it no mind.

"Are you sure? You seemed kinda upset…"

"Trust me, I-"

"Hello, you have reached the Shiki residence. We are not able to take your call at this time, so please leave a message after the beep."

"SHIKACCHI! Why haven't you called yet? Are you still mad at me? I'm really sorry, Shikacchi! You know I can say some dumb stuff sometimes… Please forgive me, Shikacchi…"

"Yuuki! Give me back my phone! Stop bothering Shika-chin! She'll call when she wants to! I'm sorry for disturbing you, Shika-chin!"

The message ended and Shika looked back at the answering machine.

"Sounds like you have some pretty adoring friends."

Shika shrugged. She turned back to the orange-haired boy and looked up at him.

"I guess so. I appreciate your apology, but it really wasn't necessary."

The boy nodded and turned to leave. Shika began closing the door, but stopped when she saw him turn around. He eyed her uniform.

"What school do you go to?"

"I go to Ishiyama High School."

"That expensive private school?"

Shika nodded and the boy left. She closed her door and went over to the phone. She dialed Yuuki's number and waited for her to answer.

"Shikacchi! I'm so happy you called!"

"Yuuki, are you calling Shika-chin again?"

"No, Shikacchi called me!"

"Yuuki, you knew I'd call."

"…Yeah, I know… But, I get worried sometimes… You don't really show your emotions that much, Shikacchi. Sometimes I get scared that you hate me…"

"Yuuki, I could never hate you. You're one of my closest friends."

"R-Really? I can't believe you just said that to me, Shikacchi!"

"What did Shika-chin say, Yuuki?"

"She said I'm one of her closest friends!"

"She did? What about me, Shika-chin?"

"You are, too, Kokoro."

"Yay! We love you, Shikacchi/Shika-chin!"

Shika smiled and giggled a bit. She could hear the two girls gasp on the other end of the line.

"Shika-chin, did you just giggle?"

Shika hung up and erased the messages from her answering machine. She went up to her room and sat down on her bed. She knew her mother wouldn't be home for the next two days; she was on a business trip. Her brother would be home soon and he'd cook dinner for the two of them. Shika looked out her window and saw the orange-haired boy from earlier. He was on his bed as well and appeared to be talking to someone who wasn't there.

"That strawberry kid lives there? He must be Kurosaki-sensei's kid."

*Adding –chin to the end of someone's name is a cute way of showing familiarity; Kokoro always adds –chin to the end of Shika's name

**Same as adding –chin; Yuuki always adds "cchi" to the end of Shika's name