Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Bleach characters, but maybe I can work something out with Tite Kubo...

CHAPTER 1:

"Hi, are you Ana?"

I lifted my head and glanced up at the speaker, a tall, leggy girl with brown eyes and black hair trimmed into a shaggy bob. Pulling the earbuds out of my head and straightening my hunched back, I replied in my very best intelligent Japanese, "Sorry, what?"

The girl lifted her eyebrow in what I imagined to be a scornful expression as I sighed inwardly at my apparent lack of social graces. I wasn't usually so awkward around people, but I had just moved to a foreign country as an exchange student. Though I was proficient at the language, my lack of confidence had consigned me to a remote corner on a hallway bench. I tuned back in to what the girl was saying.

"You are Ana Kim, right? The American exchange student?"

This time I summoned a coherent response and collected my nerves before answering. "Ahm, yes. That's me." I wondered why this girl was bothering to talk to me; I wasn't exactly beautiful or obviously intelligent, and when she had approached me I had been deeply immersed in my copy of Jane Eyre while absentmindedly bobbing my head to Evanescence. Definitely not the picture of Miss Potential Popularity, even if I did have the slight advantage of being exotic due to my status as a new arrival to the school and a foreign exchange student.

The girl nodded and folded her arms against her chest. "O.K. I'm Miruku, by the way. I'm supposed to be your guide for the next semester. Do you have any questions?" she asked kindly. I rumpled my mid-length brown hair, straightened for the occasion, and shrugged.

"Not really... well, could you show me where class I-3 meets for Orientation this afternoon? I got lost looking," I admitted shamefacedly.

Miruku smiled slightly and motioned for me to follow her. "No problem. It's this way." I stood, and we strolled down the hall. As we walked, Miruku pointed out various people milling about the hallway.

"That's Matsuda against the wall. He's in class I-2 with the girl next to him, Hana. Tatsuki and Orihime, you'll meet them later. They're in our class. Let's see, there's Chizuru in the glasses, watch it around her. She's a fanatical lesbo, though Tatsuki generally keeps her in line..."

We reached Room 370 and stopped next to a group of girls by the door. Miruku casually introduced me to them, and we fell into conversations about class assignments, new schedules, and the changes in the school uniforms. I was slightly confused on the last topic, since I had never seen the uniforms from the previous years. The girl next to me, Yuki, pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen and drew a rough representation of the subtle differences between last year's skirt and jacket and the present standard issue clothing.

"See, most schools have uniforms with a looser, longer top and a shorter skirt," she explained as she sketched the new example. "Now some schools are making changeovers to look more polished."

I looked down at my own uniform; it was probably the most polished item of clothing I owned to date.

"What do American school uniforms look like?" asked Tsunade, an ultra-petite girl with round glasses and an impish grin. I furrowed my brow and stroked my chin with an air of thoughtfulness, scrunching my eyes in great contemplation.

"Some are like Japanese uniforms," I answered slowly, adopting a scholarly tone. "But where I come from, they look like this." Grabbing the paper from Yuki, I drew a formless looking feed sack and presented it to the group. Tsunade's smile grew, and between fits of giggles Miruku shook her head and gave me a playful shove that sent me reeling into a knot of students behind me.

"Sorry," I told the girl I had bumped between snorts of laughter. We steadied each other, and I turned to walk back.

"So, are you the American exchange student?"

I sighed inwardly. The question seemed to plague my every move. Turning back, I smiled broadly at her and answered, "Yep, that's me." The girl scrutinized me carefully from head to toe, her head cocked at a quizzical angle. I shifted from one foot to the other uncomfortably, tugging at my jacket and waiting for the inspection to be over. Finally she looked up and held out her hand for me to shake.

"I'm Rukia Kuchiki, nice to meet you."

I accepted the handshake with a grin. "Nice to meet you, too. I'm Ana Kim"

"This is Ichigo and Chad," Rukia said, indicating the two boys leaning against the wall behind her. Chad, a burly monster who looked like a gorilla in need of a haircut, grunted in recognition. I turned to Ichigo, who scowled sourly, and thought better of my intended smile and friendly handshake. Jeez, I thought. Some company. Rukia looked at me and shrugged, and I did my best to show her that I wasn't offended. "So, Where in the U.S. are you from?" she asked.

"I'm from New York," I replied."Though my mom is French, and my dad is South Korean."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow, and Chad gave a derisive snort. I frowned slightly; evidentally, the Japanese and South Koreans disliked each other more than I had anticipated. My dad had warned me not to publicize his side of my genealogy too openly at first, but I had disregarded his advice, yet again to my diadvantage.

I looked over to Rukia, who just nodded thoughtfully. "I thought you looked a little Asian, but I couldn't place you."

Just then, Miruku appeared. "Ana, Orientation meeting is about to start. Coming?"

I followed behind her, listening as she chattered away. "Ichigo's kind of weird, especially since his mom died. That was years ago, though, and now he just keeps to himself and his friends. Chad's a bit of a troll, if you ask me, but he did get into the top ten percent of his class. Oh well. Here we are..."

I followed her into the classroom, glancing over my shoulder. Rukia was deeply involved in some sort of conversation with Ichigo and brandishing a small cellphone. Chad was nowhere in sight. I shook my head and sat down between Yuki and Tsunade.

"I'm telling you, something's not right. I sensed something strange about her, and now we have an order close to the school!" Rukia insisted. Ichigo held out his hand for the phone, and she handed it to him reluctantly.

"An order?" he asked after a moment. "Really? 'Cuz I'm looking at this, and the screen is blank." Handing the phone back to Rukia, he walked towards the classroom. "Come on, we'll be late."

Rukia was punching buttons on her phone, a puzzled expression overtaking her face. "But... it can't be. I just saw it. Did they-"

Ichigo sighed. "Rukia, someone is probably taking care of it. Otherwise I would be running after a hollow and Kon would be wreaking havoc. Let's go."

She grudgingly followed him into the room, grumbling inwardly. I still think it doesn't hurt to check it out. Spotting a chair near the door, she pulled it out and flopped into the seat. After all, I did feel something... Impulsively, Rukia glanced in Ana's direction. She was talking to the boy behind her, but upon feeling someone's gaze on her, she looked up. Rukia quickly looked away, and Ana resumed her conversation. Maybe I'm too jumpy, Rukia thought. But i could've sworn that there was something that she's not letting on about.