introducing my new story! Now this is just the first chapter. I won't be working on this for a while. I just want to get it out here and uploaded! Anyway, because the summary sucks and has a character limit, I'm going to make it here so I don't have to frustrate myself with such little space.
Karakura University is a huge school in Japan and is a expecting new students, but what happens when rumors spread about the new arrivals? Will they prove otherwise, or will one of the students confirm those rumors because of their odd attitude?
Meh, I suck at summaries :/ Anyway, there are a LOT of Bleach characters in this story! It was very difficult for me to pick the right ones! It takes place in a 'modern' day if you will, so just go along with it!
Karakura Town.
One of the wealthiest towns in Japan and home to some of the most successful businesses, rich people, expensive stores, and substantial schools. One of which was Karakura University. A rich, booming school that consisted of sports and athletics; ranging from football and swimming, gymnastics and cheerleading, track, and even show jumping. With the multitude of sports-related opportunities, many students from all around the world flock to this school to have their chance at victory. Each year, the school has a massive competition for all sports, almost like the Olympics, for a chance to win an amateur title of "Champion" and schools from everywhere around the world travel to compete against the rich University. It's during that time of the year that the school is packed, boarded with students and people from everywhere. Luckily, boarding was no problem, for the school is massive. Big is an understatement compared to this two-hundred acre school.
The school is equiped with fields for football, baseball, tack, tennis, soccer, flag twirling and even golf. There's two large gyms for basketball, gymnastics and cheerleading, a pool, a rink for hockey, a wrestling room that's also used for boxing, and a weight room. There's even an indoor court for badminton. The major attraction, however, is the stable not far from the campus. Horses are held there for dressage, show jumping, and barrel racing. The number of sports has won the school and award for most athletic sports in a school in the world, and it doesn't intend on losing that title.
It's February. Winter break had just ended and students are returning to the campus and dorms. The weather was still cold and classes were starting to dish out the mile-long piles of school work and tests. The bell rang, and the multitude of students emptied the classrooms and flocked in the hallways and out to the courtyards.
Footsteps were pounding down one of the corridors, students dodging and twirling out of the person's way as he barreled down the hallway, the others shouting and spitting curse words and threats and exclaims of surprise.
"Rukia!" the red-haired student yelled. He turned and raced down the next hallway, nearly running into a teacher.
"Watch it, Renji Abarai! I'll have you mop the hallways next time you run into me like that!" the woman yelled. Renji only smiled and waved a hand back to the teacher.
"Sorry, Miss Ise! I'll be more careful next time!" Renji yelled over his shoulder before racing down the main staircase to the school and out the door. The sun hit his eyes, blinding him momentarily. Renji stopped and waited for his eyes to adjust before looking around the front courtyard of the large school. Students were everywhere; walking with friends, gathering in small groups under the trees and in any other shaded area. Some riding bicycles to the next far away class, and one specific person was where she was every day at the same time, sitting on a blanket under a tree with another female, happily eating their lunch.
"Rukia!" Renji yelled again, running down the concrete stairs and racing across the patio and down the small hill where Rukia was sitting. Rukia turned her head to see her red-haired friend, panting and struggling for air.
"Always in a rush to get to us, huh Renji?" Rukia giggled. Next to her, a small female giggled as well. Her hair tied in a small bun. Renji caught his breath and fell to her knees next to her.
"Yeah, well, I'm in Corridor-B when I get out and have to rush all the way here to see you! If I don't, I'll miss you!" Renji explained. The girls giggled again.
"Aw. Isn't that sweet? You'll miss us." Rukia smiled. Renji rolled his eyes.
"That isn't what I meant. Anyway, I also wanted to tell you how I did on my history exam!" Renji said, pulling out a folded paper. He unfolded it and pushed it to Rukia's face. "See! I got an A-! I'll pass for the quarter and be able to continue wrestling!" Renji said happily. Renji's sport here at Karakura University was wrestling. Since the age of seven when he first started wrestling, Renji's won over twenty-seven medals, and eight trophies and has had a number of plaques with his name engraved on them. When he won a scholarship, his parents were thrilled and paid a large sum to get him into this school. It was Renji's first time entering the competition this year, and he was determined to keep his grades up to ensure he stays on the wrestling team.
"Oh, that's great, Renji. But, um..." Rukia trailed off and gave him an anxious look. Renji was confused. Was she not happy that he got a good grade?
"What? Aren't you happy for me?" Renji asked.
"But of course, Renji, but, it's just that..." Rukia pointed a finger to the girl next to her. She looked like her puppy just died. Renji was even more stumped. Rukia leaned in close to Renji's ear and whispered,
"Momo got an 89.8% on her final exam." and Renji scoffed.
"That's a high B, Momo! Be proud!" Renji yelled. Momo looked at him, slightly positive, but disappointment still on her face. "Don't look at me like that! So it's on B. It's a B+ and you should be happy! Besides, you have all A's for the rest of your grades. It's not like you're going to get kicked out of gymnastics or anything. Don't sweat it! Quarter exams are always the hardest." Renji tried to reassure Momo, but she took her grades very seriously. Momo had been doing gymnastics since she was five and was as graceful as a butterfly when she did it. Momo had never been into competitions. Her parents made her do it when she was back at home. Sure, she came in first place nearly eighty percent of the time, but it was never enough for her mom, who was a world champion. That wasn't Momo's dream. She did the sport for fun. It was bad enough to have snobs, no matter where they were, criticize in gymnastics and have ego issues. Here it was that times one thousand. Momo ignored them, but it was a lot to deal with. Nonetheless, Momo soldiered on and didn't let bullying get in the way what she loved doing the most.
"Renji's right, Momo. Cheer up." Rukia smiled at her. She reached for one of the sandwiches in the pile and handed one to Renji. "Here. Momo made them in her culinary class. They're amazing." Rukia commented. Renji took it and after one bite, he couldn't resist the urge to eat the whole thing.
"That was amazing, Momo!" Renji said with his mouth full. Momo giggled.
"Thank-you, Renji, Rukia. Maybe I should loosen up a bit... I can't help it. I've always had grade anxiety after I get a low-grade." Momo looked down at her drink.
"Momo, you didn't get a low-grade. The proctor even said that low A's and very high B's are common for the final result." Rukia said. Momo sighed.
"I know but... I just thought I could do better." Momo whined. Rukia and Renji rolled their eyes.
"Say, I have a question." Rukia said. "Do any of you guys have practice tomorrow?" she asked. Renji shook his head.
"I get out of practice 11:00 tomorrow morning. Why?" Momo asked. Rukia smiled.
"That's perfect! Come around the stables!" Rukia said. "Byakuya is bringing my horse tomorrow afternoon! I can't wait to see her again." Rukia said happily.
"Rukia, it's only been a little over a month since we got back to the campus." Renji said like it was no big deal.
"Yeah, and I'm the only girl in the tack room who hasn't had her horse in the stable for over two weeks!" Rukia snapped. Renji rolled his eyes again. "Seriously, Renji. You have no idea how embarassing it is to borrow a horse." Rukia said with disgust. Karakura University had a very successful stable for riders. The sports included dressage, barrel racing, and show jumping. Rukia was involved in show jumping and dressage. Her brother was a three-time national champion in polo, and was paying for Rukia to come to this school for her lessons. Rukia was going to compete this year for a chance to win the blue ribbon and a trophy in dressage and show jumping. However, there was one problem in her way.
"And Ulquiorra hasn't let me forget about it and probably won't until the day I die." Rukia crossed her arms and looked away, her face growing red in frustration. Momo put a hand to her shoulder.
"Don't listen to him, Rukia. He's just another rich snob." Momo said. Rukia sighed.
"I know, but he thinks he's so great because he has a well-behaved Trakehner... and because he has all these ribbons." Rukia was referring to one of her classmates. Ulquiorra Schiffer. Though it's already known and common, Ulquiorra is one of the most richest kids in the school. He is beyond stuck-up, snobby, and a narcissist to the extreme. He was one of the many students who attended the schools for the stables. Ulquiorra owned a fine purebred dark-brown Trakehner with a black mane, white legs and a white spot on its nose. Ulquiorra took pride in himself and his horse and the animal even took after his owner's disgusting temper. To make things worse, he was ranked top in the class and Rukia despised him even more for that.
"I'm not good with horses, or animals for that matter, but... I'm sure you'll kick his ass in the competition." Renji tried to sound reassuring, but he knew how brutal the competitions get. Students from everywhere are vicious and have a nasty attitude. Momo, Rukia, and Renji are only the select few that actually have sportsmanship in the entire damn town.
"I'll need luck..." Rukia sighed.
"Well, Rangiku said it was okay to stop by, right?" Momo asked. Rangiku, though a student, was the teacher for all the lessons in the stables. She was laid-back and very relaxed when it came to visitors. Especially after practice. Because she won the competition last year in barrel racing, she was allowed to monitor the students and teach them all they needed to learn and her helpful tips. Though sometimes her tips weren't exactly on racing or the animals some of the time. The other reason was because her mare was pregnant and was currently resigned from racing.
"Of course!" Rukia smiled. "You know how easy-going Rangiku is. She loves visitors and you know how much she'll be happy to see you, Momo." Rukia said. Momo blushed. Rangiku was Momo's best friend, and though they didn't get to see each other very often, they still kept in touch.
"I'll be there!" Renji said beside Rukia. Rukia turned to Momo.
"What about you, Momo? Are you in?" Rukia asked. Momo sighed and looked around a bit before looking to her friends, who had anxious looks on their faces. With a small smile, she nodded.
"Of course. I'll come tomorrow. Right after gymnastics." Momo promised. Renji and Rukia smiled.
"All right! We're going to the stables tomorrow!" Renji cheered. The bell sounded and the large crowd of students began to slowly disperse. While Rukia and Momo rushed to pack up their picnic, Renji hopped to his feet in a frenzy. "Damnit! I have to go all the way down to the wrestling room!" Renji yelled. He folded his paper up and started to run down the long pathway to the wrestling room so far away. Rukia and Momo giggled as they watched their friend run like an idiot down the path.
"Bye, Renji! See you tomorrow!" Rukia called. Renji waved a hand as he ran down the path and just as he saw a clearing, someone stepped in front of him.
"Keigo, look out!" Renji yelled as the brown-haired kid walked right in his path. Renji skidded to a halt, barely missing the kid. Fuming, Renji glared at him. "Keigo, what the hell is your problem? I could've bulldozed right through you, damnit!" Renji yelled. Keigo, panting as if he had just ran a marathon on the track.
"R-Renji! We're getting... new students!" Keigo yelled in between his hoarse breathing. Renji raised an eyebrow.
"And?" he said, not impressed.
"They're rich freaks!" Keigo yelled. "They're stuck-up snobs and they're going to be in OUR CLASS!" he yelled. Renji didn't have time for this kid.
"Keigo, I have to get going. Go bother Ichigo or something!" Renji yelled as he started to run again. As he ran, Renji felt that thought sink in. Not another snob. What could these people be like? He hoped they weren't arrogant and cocky. Not like Ulquiorra or Starrk. But these new students were going to be in Renji's classes? Great... just fucking this school was expensive, but the number of people who literally had money coming out of their ass who had such a rotten attitude was exhausting. He was thankful Rukia wasn't self-centered like everyone else. Her brother, who was looking after her, was a very wealthy man. Rukia told him something about how she knows the value of a dollar. Something 90% of this school should
The next day came and Momo was just getting out of gymnastics. She was in the locker room with about eight other girls, pulling her shirt over her head. She sighed as she picked up her hair tie and started to put her hair into a bun. She was just about to pick up her bag in leave when she felt someone looming over her. She turned around and gasped, then let out a sigh of relief when she saw who it was.
"Oh, Nemu... you frightened me." she relaxed. Nemu was one of the girls in gymnastics. She was rather pretty, was very flexible and did her moves with such grace, but... she was kind of a freak.
"Have you heard the news?" Nemu asked, standing in her leotard, her face frozen in the stoic expression she always had on. Momo slowly shook her head. She had no idea what Nemu talked about most of the time. A majority of the time, she was silent, and when she did talk, it was about things that could frighten Satan himself. She also had a crush on the science teacher that nobody wanted to be around... and hearing her say this made Momo go cold. "There are new students coming tomorrow." she said. Momo relaxed again.
"That's cool. I wonder what they'll be like." Momo said, slipping on her shoes.
"Not good." Nemu said. "They're rich people. A bunch of snobs." Momo frowned.
"Well, we can't judge them yet. They aren't even here." Momo said.
"Don't bother!" came another voice behind them. Momo turned to see the captain of the cheerleading team, Riruka. "All the wealthy kids here are all the same. Rich, stuck-up, and filthy!" she spat. Momo rolled her eyes.
"You seem to be forgetting that you too have a large amount of money to your name. So, doesn't that make you all those things as well?" Nemu retorted. Riruka laughed.
"Oh, you silly freak. No! I am not filthy." Riruka said, tossing her pigtails. "Be careful who you talk to for now on, got it? Or I'll have you kicked off the team." she spat before walking away. Momo sighed. She hated the girls here. Well... almost all of the girls. Though Nemu was an oddball, she was still nice. Even a little protective.
"Ignore her, Nemu. I have to go meet Rukia at the stables today. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Momo said, standing up with her bag. Nemu still had her eyes glued on the cheerleader.
"She will get what's coming to her one day. Whether it's today, or sometime in the future, she will be punished." she said darkly. Momo nodded as she made a hasty way towards the door. She walked out of the door to the gym and started to make her way back to her dorm. As she walked, she thought about what Nemu said about the new students.
'I know I shouldn't judge, but... it's so hard to not expect these students to be nice when all the others here who have money are so bitter...' Momo thought as she walked down the sidewalk. She wanted to believe these students were going to be friendly, but gloating was so common here she could only assume they were going to do the same. She wondered if Renji and Rukia knew yet. If not, she'd have to tell them.
Renji was more than excited to go see Rukia and even see Byakuya. As he ran from the wrestling room, he couldn't help but think about what Rukia's horse really looked like. He had never been to the stables before. Sure, he walked past it a few times, saw some of the animals galloping around in the pasture, but never really got up close. He was kind of excited. Rukia would always say how great and beautiful her horse was, yet she still had a fond love for bunnies. Strange...
After a brisk jog, Renji found himself on the road to the stables and started to run towards the entrance. He could smell the animals and hear the horses whinny and see from a distance a horse tethered to some sort of pole with it going around in circles. That wasn't animal abuse, right? He sure hoped not.
"Renji!" he heard someone call. He stopped and looked behind him to see Rukia in a golf cart with Rangiku driving it. He smiled and waved his arm.
"Hey!" he greeted. She pulled up and Rukia scooted over. She was dressed in her riding outfit. A tight-fitting purple shirt, tight riding pants, and black knee-high boots.
"Hop in!" Rangiku said. Renji jumped in and thanked Rangiku for the ride as she sped down the road to the stables. "Renji! I haven't seen you in a while. Didn't get fat over the break, did you?" she teased. Renji felt his face go hot.
"Fat? Fat?! I am, and I say this clearly, not fat!" Renji yelled. Rukia laughed.
"Chill out, Renji. She was only pulling her leg." Rukia said. "So," Rukia turned to Rangiku. "How's Daffodil? Did she have her foal yet?" Rukia was referring to Rangiku's horse. Her mare had gotten pregnant a while ago and so far, nothing was heard about the foal.
"No, not yet. The vet said that she should have her foal in a few weeks, so all we gotta do is wait and make her comfortable." Rangiku said, turning to the main door to the stable. Upon arriving, Rukia gritted her teeth as she saw Ulquiorra casually walk his stallion into the stadium.
"I don't like him." Rukia spat. Rangiku patted her head.
"Now, now, don't get snippy. Not when your older brother is on his way here." Rangiku mentioned. Rangiku was right. Who knows the kind of lecture she would get if Byakuya saw her being so aggressive. "I'm off to the pastures to give a tutorial on individual dressage, so I'll see you two later. Oh, and tell Momo I say hi! I'll try to get back to see her." Rangiku said. Renji and Rukia got off the cart and waved good-bye as Rangiku drove off.
"I'm so excited to see Byakuya and my horse!" Rukia cheered. It was just in time too, she had jumping lessons today and so did Ulquiorra. She was going to show him what she had today. She didn't lay around and get lazy over winter break. No sir!
"Say, Rukia. You never told us anything about your horse." Renji said. Rukia looked to him.
"Well, you never asked." Rukia replied. "But, since you want to know, my horse is a beautiful Arabian has a white coat with a shiny grey mane and tail. She is so gentle and even Byakuya got attached to her. I'm glad to see him so friendly!" Rukia said with glee.
"What's its name?" Renji asked. Rukia hesitated, digging her heel into the dirt. Renji raised an eyebrow at her. "What? C'mon, it can't be that bad." Renji said, crossing his arms.
"Promise not to make fun of me?" Rukia asked innocently. Renji nodded. Rukia sighed and looked down. "Chappy..." she mumbled. Renji snorted.
"Why am I not surprised? But why the hell did you name a horse after some dumb rabbit?!" Renji yelled. Rukia balled her fists.
"It isn't dumb! Chappy is cute and my horse is beautiful! It's better than Byakuya's horse's name!" Rukia argued. "He named his horse Ambassador! What kind of name is that!" she yelled. Renji laughed. It's one thing for sure. The Kuchikis definitely don't have a thing for naming things. There was a loud horn and Renji and Rukia turned to see a large SUV pulling a horse trailer. The trailer was large and a deep shade of purple with slick gold-colored streaks. It looked like an RV, except for a horse.
"I-is that Byakuya?" Renji asked, nearly speechless. Rukia nodded.
"Yep! He always said purple is a prideful color for someone to bear." Rukia said, excitement filling her voice.
"That's a pretty big horse trailer. Do you have a Pegasus in there or something?" Renji asked, amazed at how luxurious the vehicles are. Rukia giggled.
"No, Oh, but I do wish I did!" Rukia bounded in place as the trailer finally pulled up. Out of the passenger side stepped Byakuya in all his long-haired glory and Rukia didn't hesitate to run up to him and hug him. Renji had only heard stories of how serious Byakuya was on Rukia's account. She said he was stern, serious, mature, and wasn't known to smile often. So seeing Byakuya hug his sister was surprising.
"Hello, Rukia." he greeted. Rukia let go of him and gasped as she saw a man walk around the vehicle with a tall white horse.
"Chappy!" Rukia cheered, running to the animal. Renji gazed at the horse in awe. It wasn't just white, it was snow-white. The coat was gleaming, the mane and tail were shining in the sunlight. It was a gorgeous animal. "Look at that! Your mane grew out!" Rukia said while petting the horses hair.
"And you know what you have to do, right Rukia?" Byakuya asked. Rukia suddenly frowned.
"Yes, brother. I'll cut it tomorrow morning." Rukia said politely. Byakuya nodded.
"Oh, Byakuya. What's a little hair going to hurt?" came a new voice. Around the front of the vehicle stepped out Byakuya's wife of ten years, Hisana. Rukia gasped and ran over to hug her.
"Hisana! You came too?" Rukia asked, clearly joyed over her family.
"Of course. I couldn't have Byakuya come see you here without me. As you know, he's a bit domineering at times." she whispered.
"I am not..." Byakuya said lazily. "And short hair on a horse is presentable and makes it look neat and well-groomed." he retorted. Hisana rolled her eyes.
"Ignore him, sweetie. You take care of Chappy and we'll be sure to see her in all her glory in a few months." Hisana smiled. Rukia blinked in realization.
"Y-you mean you're coming to see me perform in May?" Rukia said in disbelief. Hisana nodded.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world, honey." she said. Rukia smiled widely and threw her arms around the older woman.
"This is amazing! I can't believe you're actually going to be there!" Rukia was overjoyed that Hisana was coming to watch her compete. She rarely got to see Byakuya's wife. She was always traveling being a very dedicated business woman. She supported Rukia in anything she wanted to do, even if she wanted to give up riding, though, Rukia didn't how Byakuya would take her giving up riding. It only crossed her mine a few times since she started at a very young age and she loved Chappy. She could never stop riding her.
"We must go now, Hisana." Byakuya said, walking up to his wife. Hisana sighed.
"Oh, all right. I'll see you soon, Rukia. Don't stop at trying hard." Hisana kissed her forehead and got in the back of the SUV. Byakuya walked over to Rukia and patted her shoulder.
"Don't let me down, Rukia. Do your best." was all he said before he got in the passenger side. Rukia nodded, feeling uneasy as she held Chappy's reins. She waved good-bye as they drove off and let out a sigh.
"Well, that was sweet... in a way." Renji said, casually walking up to Rukia. "Nice horse by the way. Much prettier than Ulquiorra's horse." Renji commented. He started to pet the horse when he noticed Rukia was so still. "You all right? You seem a bit sad?" Renji asked. Rukia sighed again.
"I'm all right. I just... nevermind. Let's get Chappy to her stall." she said emotionless as she started to walk towards the stables. Renji found this odd. One minute she was bounding with glee and now she was so... depressed.
"Renji! Rukia!" the two turned to see Momo running down the road to the stables. Renji smiled and waved to her. Momo came up to her friends, panting out of breath. "Sorry I'm late. I got caught up in the mess hall." she apologized. She straightened up and looked around. "Hey, where's your brother?" she asked. Rukia giggled.
"You just missed him. Don't worry, you'll see him one day." Rukia said. Momo frowned.
"Oh. I was really looking forward to seeing him. Oh well..." Momo looked up and saw the beautiful Arabian in Rukia's hands. "Wow! This is your horse?" Momo asked in awe, going to pet it. Rukia nodded.
"Mhm! Her name is Chappy. She needs a hair cut tomorrow. Want to help me brush her in the stables?" Rukia asked.
Momo smiled, "Of course! I can see why Ulquiorra is so jealous." she said. Renji laughed.
"Hell yeah." he agreed. "It's prettier than his anyway." Rukia smiled.
"Aw, you guys. I'm so glad to have you as my friends. Come on, let's get Chappy to her stall." Rukia led the way to the open door of the stables when they heard galloping. Rukia stopped and looked to her right to see the Devil himself riding on his stallion. She glared as he stopped his horse in front of her and gave her a disgusted look.
"So you finally have your horse, huh?" he said in a mocking tone. "Well it's about time you got that beast of burden back." Rukia felt herself snap.
"Beast of burden?!" she yelled. The sound of galloping came again and a light brown horse came trotting up behind Ulquiorra.
"Look at the pretty pony, Ulquiorra. I didn't know the stable turned into a circus." snickered the black-haired boy. It was Ggio Vega. He was Ulquiorra's follower and just as arrogant. Yeah he had money, and an ugly disposition to go with it. His horse was a Thoroughbred and it was just as nasty as a wild mustang. It only listened to Ggio and didn't like anyone else touching him. "Go back to the petting zoo, Kuchiki, and take that mule with you!" Ggio reared on his horse before trotting back into the stables.
"For once, Ggio is right. You're better off dropping out of jumping. You can't win with me around." Ulquiorra said before taking his horse into the stables as well. Rukia was furious, shaking with anger. She's been bothered by them before, but never as bad as this. Especially in front of her friends.
"If I had a knife, I'd make all of them into mince meat. Including their horses." Renji growled.
"Renji!" Momo gasped. "How horrible!"
"Not as horrible as they treated Rukia!" Renji gritted his teeth. "How dare they treat her like that! Her horse is beautiful. Don't listen to them, Rukia! You'd think with their age they'd be just a little bit more mature." Renji shook his head in disappointment.
"Thanks, guys. I try to ignore them. Lets go." Rukia began to walk Chappy into the barn with Renji and Momo close behind her.
"Hey! Can I come out now?!" came a familiar voice. Rukia stopped and looked to where the sound was coming from. It came from the large pile of hay in the corner of the barn and she laughed.
"Sorry, Ichigo! I completely forgot. Yes, you can come out now." out of the large pile of hay came Ichigo. Ichigo Kurosaki was Rukia's boyfriend. Since she came here two years ago, she couldn't help but notice his vibrant orange hair and his stunning brown eyes. Ichigo was an expert at soccer and spent most of his time on the field. He brushed off the hay from his arms and out of his hair and patted down his shirt.
"Jeez..." Ichigo groaned as he picked off the particles of the horse feed from his clothing. It looked like he was about to have a soccer match with someone. "Making me hide in the hay like that. Why couldn't I have just hidden in a stall?" Ichigo scowled.
"Because I didn't know if Byakuya was going to enter the stables or not." Rukia explained.
"Why are you hiding here anyway?" Renji asked. Rukia laughed.
"Byakuya doesn't know about Ichigo, and I'd like to keep it that way." Rukia smiled. Ichigo walked next to her and have her a kiss on her cheek. "I needed him to hide in the hay because I wasn't sure if Byakuya was going to come into the stables or not. The last thing he needed to see was a six-foot soccer player hanging out in one of the horse stalls." Rukia explained. Momo giggled.
"Oh, I get it. Being sneaky are we?" she smiled. Ichigo rolled his eyes.
"Well, I'm not going to deny it." Rukia said. She led her friends and Chappy to her stall and let the horse get settled. Rukia let Momo brush Chappy while Rukia got her hay to eat. After all that was done, Rukia took everyone out of the stables before Ulquiorra and his little pet found them again.
"Oh, darn!" Momo exclaimed suddenly. "I came here to see Rangiku and I didn't catch her!" Momo looked down and frowned. She hasn't seen her friend since she got back from winter vacation.
"Don't worry, Momo. She said she'll come around later to see you. She also said hi!" Rukia said. Momo worked up a smile a bit. She'll see her again. Hopefully before the school year ends.
"Say, Ichigo, why are you in your soccer uniform?" Renji asked. Ichigo shrugged his shoulders.
"I got out of practice before Byakuya got here, so I decided to come here." Ichigo said lazily, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Are you going to enter the competition again this year?" Renji asked. Ichigo groaned. Ichigo had entered the soccer competition last year and the school's team came in third place. Ichigo got a small trophy and so did the rest of the players. Rukia kept commenting on how cute it was. Ichigo told him his dad practically forced him into it. Ichigo hates competing because of feeling like he's under pressure. He hates that feeling.
"I don't know...I mean, I hate feeling pressured and everyone else on the team isn't making it any better. Including-" a soccer ball came flying from out of nowhere and struck Ichigo straight in the back of the head. He was sent flying forward and face-planted right into the dirt.
"Ichigo? Are you all right?!" Rukia said, slightly panicked. Ichigo scrunched the dirt in his fists and looked up, blood running out of his nose.
"Just what the hell do you think you're doing, Ichigo?" Rukia, Renji and Momo turned around to see a tall man, taller than Ichigo, step out from one of the stalls. He was dressed in a coach's outfit, a silver whistle hanging from a string around his neck along with several keys.
"Kaien..." Ichigo growled. He stood up and gave Kaien a menacing look. "I should be asking you the same damn question! What the hell are you throwing soccer balls at me for?! That's uncalled for, damnit!" Ichigo yelled, pointing at him.
"Well I wouldn't have to be throwing soccer balls at you if you'd get your lazy ass back on the practice field!" Kaien yelled back.
"What?! Practice ended an hour ago! What the hell do yo mean by that? And I'm not a lazy ass!" Ichigo yelled back. As the two bickered back and forth, Rukia, Renji, and Momo watched on, unimpressed.
"Quit your belly aching and get back to the fields. You would've heard about the postponed practice if you would've had your cell phone on, little cousin." Kaien crossed his arms. Yes, Kaien was not only Ichigo's soccer coach, but he was his older cousin. Kaien and his wife both worked here. His wife, Miyako, was an English teacher here, and even taught Ichigo and Rukia who were in the same class.
"Well, it was either have my cell phone off, or have my obnoxous ringtone scare the horses and cause a stampede!" Ichigo rubbed the back of his head where the soccer ball made contact.
"No matter! I want your butt on the field in fifteen minuets and no more!" Kaien yelled before walking away. Ichigo sighed and turned to his friends.
"I'm sorry, guys. I have to go." he apologized.
"Is your coach always like that?" Ichigo asked.
"Yeah, but that's just family love, ya know? You get used to it after a while." Ichigo said. He gave Rukia a good-bye kiss and made his way out of the stables and back to the soccer fields. Rukia, Renji, and Momo thought it would be a good idea to go to the mess hall and grab a bite to eat and started their way back to the campus grounds.
"Oh!" Momo exclaimed again. "I almost forgot! Has anyone heard of the new students coming to the school?" she asked.
"Yeah! I totally forgot about that!" Renji said. "I heard from Keigo that they're going to be snobbish uptight assholes."
"Renji!" Rukia scolded. "Way to judge!"'
"Actually..." Momo spoke, "Nemu told me the same thing. I know we shouldn't judge, but you've seen all the rich students here. They're so mean. Especially Riruka."
"And Ulquiorra..." Rukia growled.
"And I'm sure as hell Grimmjow is giving Ichigo hell on the fields..." Renji was referring to one of the players on Ichigo's soccer team. He was mean, sarcastic, and somewhat sadistic. He was over six foot, had icy blue hair and laughed at anyone's pain. Ichigo hated him. Mainly because of last year's incident during the tournament. Grimmjow had purposly kicked the soccer ball out from Ichigo's feet and Ichigo tripped over himself, spraining his ankle. Ichigo recovered, but his hatred towards the guy never died down.
"What about you, Renji? Do you have anyone on your wrestling team you don't like?" Momo asked. Renji sighed.
"Of course I do. His name is Yylfordt. That blonde bastard needs to fall in a hole with poisonous spiders and never be able to climb out." Renji said darkly. This guy in particular had long blonde hair and demon-like red eyes. For some odd reason, he set out for Renji and defeated him in ever practice since last year. Renji hated him for it. And to think he had to go up against him this year in the championships...
"Well, we can't say for sure that they'll be mean like everyone else." Rukia said. "And how does anyone know their rich? Maybe it's some sort of rumor going around because of how successful the university is." Rukia had a point. How did anyone know they had money? They could be just like them and still be mean though. Anything could happen.
"Beats me, but all I know is if they mess with me, they'll be in for a beating!" Renji said, pounding his fist into his hand.
"And if you beat anyone up, I'll be sure to kick your ass!" Rukia yelled. "Don't be mean!" Momo sighed. She wondered if these new students would be girls or guys. If they were girls, what if they were rude and snobby like Riruka and did cheerleading or gymnastics like her? What if they joined Riruka and relentlessly pounded on her in the gym everyday like they did Nemu? Momo didn't think she could handle any more of Riruka, let alone two more just like her, but then there was also the question: what if they were guys? They'd probably be like Grimmjow or Ulquiorra... Momo prayed these new students were nice.
"So, when are they supposed to arrive?" Rukia asked. Momo looked up.
"Nemu told me they're supposed to arrive tomorrow at the back of the boarding office." Momo answered.
"Wow, they're coming earlier than I expected." Renji said. Then something struck him. "Hey! That door is right next to the wrestling room! We could peek at them if we hide behind the shed that holds the weights." Renji, though normally keeping to himself in this case, was all too curious to get a look at what the new students looked like.
"Renji, we can't spy on them." Rukia glared. "What if they think we're some kind of creepers? That'll give the school a bad first impression." Rukia did have a point, but it was only for a little bit. Just until they saw them around the campus and in their classes.
"We'll keep quiet and out of sight. I doubt they'll see us." Renji proposed. "C'mon! We'll get a first glance before anyone else!"
"You're making it seem like they're animals, Renji. Chill out. We'll see them." Momo said.
"I know, but, what time are they coming?" Renji asked. Why was he so hyped up about this?
"I don't know..." Momo answered. "Most likely in the morning. I mean, if I were to arrive at a new school, I'd want to arrive early to get used to the place."
"Then you two meet me at the back entrance of the wrestling room. We'll wait out there. I'll even wait for you." Renji said. Rukia found this all ridiculous. Just to see two new kids?
"Fine. 10 a.m. sharp tomorrow, is that okay with you?" Rukia asked. Renji nodded. "What about you, Momo? Is it okay with you?" Rukia asked. Momo hesitated. Sure, she was curious about the students, but she felt it was right to just wait for the opportunity to come to her. But she couldn't just leave her friends, so why not?
"Sure. I'll come alone." she agreed with a smile.
"Sweet! This'll be worth it guys! I know it'll be! Come on! Let's make it to the mess hall before it gets too dark to see!" Renji said before sprinting off.
"Hey! I don't have my horse! Wait, Renji!" Rukia yelled after him and took off. Momo sighed. She didn't have a bad feeling about the new students exactly. In fact, she had a slightly good feeling about it. Perhaps there was hope in these two. And maybe... hopefully, they'll be their new friends.
Has anyone reading ever seen the show 'Horseland'? I was inspired by one of the episodes! Yeah, I know it's a kid's show, but it has a lot of life lessons and I was so inspired by one I just had to use the topic for a story!
So, what are these new students like? Are they arrogant and uptight like everyone says they are? Or is Momo right in thinking they're good-hearted souls like her friends? Will they do well in the competion that's to come? Let's hope so You'll find out soon enough! Stay tuned! Review on what you think!
