Children are Geniuses
Chapter 1: My First Job
Pig-chan – I'm back with a Bleach fic! Even better? It's my first AU fic! Yes, that is an achievement of mine (and I think it's AU. Was my last story AU?). Okay, so if you review, could you tell me whether I should have switching POVs or not? Thanks. Oh, and I do know most of my Bleach. I just altered a few things….okay more than a few things…so please don't flame me *cowers in a corner*
I walked down the street towards the newest place that would hire me. By the way, I'm Kuchiki Rukia. Nearing my destination, I heaved out a sigh. My older sister, Kuchiki Hisana, had insisted I get a job since I was really good with the children in my neighborhood. I took her word for it, as to not argue with my sister. Her asthma was acting up again.
"Rukai onee-chan! I can't believe you're here!" a girl's voice rang out. That snapped me out of my thoughts.
"Huh? Oh, hello Kairi-chan! It's great to see you again. How is your mom?" I asked the young girl. Her short black hair swished around, framing her face. Kind of like an angel...
"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" I asked. She nodded, a lively grin gracing her young face.
"Yeah! Mommy's doing really well! They say my new baby brother and she can come home tomorrow! They named him Kiku!" She giggled. I ruffled her hair.
"That's really cute. Let's go inside, okay?" She nodded and dashed inside. I trailed after her.
"I'm here to receive my name tag," I told the receptionist. She nodded, and handed me an orange card in the shape of an orange.
"Ukitake-san should be in the room with the children," she told me. I went to the room, not bothering to spare another glance at the person behind me. I walked down the corridor and rounded the corner. At the end of the hall, I could see a room labeled, "Company 13". I strolled into the room. A man with silver hair was talking to a crying child. His head snapped up, and he smiled.
"Children, please calm down," the man said. The energetic children stopped momentarily to listen to what he needed to say. I looked at my new co-worker. He had long hair (I just noticed). Funny. He didn't seem that old...
"Thank you. As I was saying, we have a new friend here with us," he said, smiling warmly. He nodded in my direction. Now I could see why he was working here. He was a really warm person, from what I could tell.
"Thank you for having me. My name is Kuchiki Rukia. It's very nice to meet you all," I stated, bowing low. The kids began babbling all at once. I could vaguely hear 'She's pretty'. That's cute. They continued to play like before.
"Rukia onee-chan? I didn't know you worked here!" I turned towards the direction of the voice.
"Kairi-chan? Wow, this is amazing! Okay, please take care of me," I bowed again in her direction. She giggled and ran up to hug me.
"I see you two are acquainted. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll meet everyone here," Ukitake-san said. I smiled.
"Yeah, I used to babysit her. She's the greatest kid I know," I said. Kairi smiled. She grabbed my hand and led me to another girl.
"Rukia-san, right?" a girl asked. She had short blonde hair. "I'm Kotetsu Kiyone. And that idiot over there," she pointed to a boy with cropped black hair, "is my rival Kotsubaki Sentaro." He stuck his tongue out at her. She blew a raspberry at him.
"Well, it's really nice to meet you. If you need anything, feel free to ask me." They both nodded and played with whatever was available to them.
"Actually, Rukia-onee, come play with us!" Kairi said. I smiled.
"Sure thing, Kairi-chan. What do you want to do?" She bit her lip in thought.
"Let's play Restaurant! Okay, I'll be the chef, Kiyone-chan can be the waitress, and Rukai-onee can be the customer!" she suggested. I laughed.
"Sure. Go get your outfits," I said, ruffling her hair again.
"Okay!" she ran off to the closet, grabbing an apron, a chef's hat, and a cloth. She gave the cloth to Kiyone-chan who placed it on her arm.
"Can I take your order miss?" Kiyone-chan asked me. I smiled.
"Yeah, I'd like tea for a drink and a sandwich," she pretended her hand was a notepad and began to scribble on it using her finger.
"I'll be right back miss," she dashed off to Kairi-chan, who was rummaging for a plastic sandwich and a teacup. Kairi-chan pulled out both necessary items and handed them to Kiyone-chan. She grabbed a plate for the plastic sandwich and walked over to me.
"Here are the things you ordered," she said. I laughed and pretended to eat the sandwich and drank out of the empty cup. Don't worry; I didn't put my lips to them.
"Okay, since it's your first day here, it'll be free," Kiyone-chan said, beaming.
"Thank you!" I ruffled her hair too. I noticed Ukitake-san walking towards me. "Excuse me. And thank you. That sandwich was delicious." The two girls giggled and walked towards the toy bin.
"It's really great to have you here Kuchiki-san," Ukitake-san said. "I'm sure you'll come to love everyone in the Peach division. I'll explain how our system works since it is very different from normal day cares," Ukitake-san explained. "Every day, each of these kids has a rotation. There are a total of 13 divisions, as we like to call them. Basically, these kids will go to each division a day, ending up at their original division every 13 days." I felt kind of confused.
"How would you keep track of all the children for each rotation?" I asked. He smiled.
"They are given tags with their original division number. Today is a lucky day for you because everyone here is at their original division. We keep track of the children and their locations for the day. We faculty members get a break at the end of the day, so you'll be able to meet them," Ukitake-san explained. "Also, the adults in charge of the divisions, such as myself, are referred to as 'captains'. It's really fun, if you think about it." I sweat dropped. Captains? Did a little kid invent that?
"Likewise, there are helpers, such as yourself, who are referred to as lieutenants. You'll have to earn your way into lieutenant," he finished. I nodded again. Such a weird system. I kind of liked it…
It's about time for recess. The children were already released outside to play and mingle with others from different divisions. I sat inside with a few of the other lieutenants and captains.
"Hello, I'm Kuchiki Rukia," I introduced myself. The other women in the faculty room nodded. The strawberry blonde was the first to speak.
"I'm Matsumoto Rangiku, lieutenant of the 10th division," she said. She motioned to a shorter woman with short black hair. "This is Soi Fon-taicho, 2nd division." Said person gave me a curt nod. She pointed at an older looking woman.
"I am Unohana Retsu, 4th division. It's nice to meet you," she said. I smiled.
"It's nice to meet you too," I said. A girl with silver-ish hair spoke up.
"I'm lieutenant to Unohana-taicho. Kotetsu Isane, 4th division," she said.
"Is Kiyone your little sister?" I asked. She blinked, seemingly surprised.
"Yeah. I'm guessing you two met. So you're in the 13th division?" she asked. I nodded. A smaller girl with brownish black hair spoke up next.
"Hinamori Momo, 5th division," she said. She looked around my age.
"Ise Nanao, 8th division," another woman said. She pushed her glasses up. She seemed kinda scary…
"Kurosutchi Nemu, 12th division," a woman said softly. She seemed kind of nice. Rangiku spoke next.
"You'll meet the men of this building later on," she assured me.
I went home right after the last kid in the 13th division left. I told Ukitake-taicho I'd meet the other faculty members later. I didn't live far from here, so I just walked home. I felt a thud on my forehead before I fell on the ground.
"Sorry. I wasn't watching where I walked," was the gruff excuse. He extended a hand, but I got up by myself.
"It's alright," I said. And I walked off. What? It wasn't like this was some romantic movie! I'm not just going to look into his eyes and fall in love just like that! I have my whole life to look forward to. Besides, what if he was a rough old geezer?
"I'm home," I called out. Hisana onee-san was sitting at the couch, a blanket draping her frame.
"Welcome back," she smiled warmly. I set my backpack down and sat next to her.
"So…has he proposed yet?" I asked. Hisana switched the channel. I pressed on further. "Well? Has he?" Hisana pressed her lips together.
"Not…exactly," she said hesitantly. I gasped.
"Don't tell me you two got into a fight?" I cried. Hisana didn't say anything. I growled.
"I'm going to knock some sense into him. Who does he think he is?" I cursed. Hisana put an arm on my shoulder.
"It's alright. He's not entirely at fault. You'll understand when you fall in love," she sighed. She loosened her grip and I sat down.
"Well, I'll be in my room. Call me if you need me," I said. I grabbed my backpack and lugged myself up the stairs. I think I'll do my homework tomorrow…
Pig-chan - This is just a test run (sorta). I do intend to finish this story. I will never give up on a story! So, please give me feedback! I promise it will get better later on.
