"Ichigo! Yo, Ichigo!"
The teen, annoyed, opened his eyes, looking into the branches of the trees. His eyes widened as he stared into one green eye and one blue eye. Blinking, he realized that there was a great amount of distance between him and the owner of the eyes. The owner was a girl, sitting on a much higher branch. She smiled.
"Hi there. Wanna help me get down?" she asked.
Ichigo sat up.
"What are you doing up there?" Ichigo asked. "And who are you?""Call me Yami," she said.
She moved, perched so it looked like she was about to jump.
"W-What are you doing?" Ichigo asked, leaping to his feet.
Yami grinned and jumped. Ichigo caught her, the force knocking him over. They rolled down the hill, stopping short of falling in the river. Yami laughed.
"Oh man, that was fun," she said, crawling off Ichigo.
It was then he noticed she was wearing the girl's uniform from his school.
"You go to my school?" he asked.
He searched his mind for her but couldn't recall where or even if he'd seen her before.
"Yep! Starting today!" she announced.
"New kids shouldn't skip school," Ichigo lectured.
Yami shrugged.
"Fellow skippers shouldn't scold," she retorted.
"It's dangerous here," Ichigo said.
"Because of all the gangs?" Yami asked. "I can handle myself."
Ichigo didn't believe her. She was actually really scrawny even though her body seemed top notch, like Orihime or Rangiku. Hell, with her face, Yami could have passed for Rukia. They were almost identical except for the eye color and the fact that Yami's features were a bit softer. As well as her hair which, even pulled in a high ponytail, touched the ground. Of course, looking unique didn't mean she could handle herself in a fight against the latest villain to rear their head. The Forbidden Children. So far, only one had attacked. Hebi, a master of poison and snakes. Of course, just when things looked grim, someone illuminated by light had appeared, taking Hebi with them. So far, there'd been no sign of Hebi but Squad 12 had been able to track his movements. He kept popping all over Japan, always returning to Kurakara town.
"Ichigo," Yami said.
Ichigo jumped a bit at her closeness and then mentally scolded himself for spacing out.
"It's never a good idea to get lost in thought. It can mean the difference between life or death," Yami said.
Ichigo knew that all to well. Yami's back was to him now, completely still, not even her hair moving in the breeze. It was then Ichigo realized that there was no breeze. Not anymore. Ichigo stood.
"What's going on?" he asked.
A shiver ran up Yami's back.
"Ichigo, get behind me!" she ordered.
For some reason, Ichigo was compelled to listen, getting behind her as the wind started up again with lethal strength. The tree on the hilltop was wretched from the earth as if it was nothing more than a sapling. It flew towards them.
"Pathetic," Yami mumbled, lifting her hands.
A black light surrounded them and she thrust them forward, the light seemingly infecting the tree. In a heartbeat, the tree snapped like a twig, the two halves flying past Ichigo and Yami, landing in the river.
"Ichigo, get to the tree," Yami ordered.
"What? Why?" he asked.
Yami looked at him, smiling.
"Water's my forte. Trust me."Ichigo needed no more encouragement, He ran for the water, leaping and landing perfectly on the tree. Yami abandoned her position, sprinting to the water. She dived into the water, rising out seconds after she disappeared under the water. And by rising out, she was literally lifted out by the water and set on the tree besides Ichigo. He looked at her, dripping wet. Her hair had come undone and her shirt was soaked through. Ichigo blushed as he realized that two buttons had snapped off. But it was then he noticed the small tattoo across Yami's breast. She didn't notice of course. Yami was a Forbidden Child!