AN: After writing a massive chapter on ASJ, I decided I wanted a break. Guess where the break was? XD lol, well, some people seem to interested in this little story, so here I am, writing this story just for you. Isshin might seem a bit OOC but…you gotta forgive him, after all his wife just died recently. Oh, and if you want to deepen your experience with this fic, you should play "Eye of the Tiger when Ichigo comes into school. HAHAH Seriously. Really gets you in the mood. ROFL

-Sorry I couldn't get this out earlier...site was down for a while

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach…

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Return to no Home: The First Day, Glances

- - -

"HI-YA!" is what Ichigo expected to hear, as he opened the front door. Actually what he heard was a calm, "Oh, you weren't sleeping Ichigo?"

If Ichigo hadn't been so down at the moment he would have fallen over. His father didn't attack him as he walked into the house! What was going on? Ichigo looked at his father carefully. "Old man. You sure you feeling ok?"

His father grinned, but it was sad. "Just give me a couple more days."

Ichigo nodded slowly. Of course. Even someone like Isshin Kurosaki had feelings. After all, mother had died just three weeks ago.

"Well, I'm just here to have breakfast."

His father looked up from his unpacking, and a sad look crossed his face. "Uh…I'll make something up…"

Oh yeah. Mum wasn't around to cook for them. Ichigo mentally slapped himself. It was too hard to adjust.

"Don't worry…I'll make something," Ichigo told his father. Usually Ichigo didn't even talk to his father, but now, with the death of his mother…it sort of broke down barriers between father and son.

A few moments later, Ichigo stood in front of their new stove, cooking pancakes. He had donned an apron, which was bright pink. It was the only one he could find, in the midst of all the boxes they needed to unpack. Another time, Ichigo would have probably cared. But now, he didn't give a damn. Actually, another time, Ichigo wouldn't be cooking…

Something went plop on the pan, and the oil hissed angrily.

Isshin looked up from his box-unpacking to see what had made the noise. He saw his son, standing there, his back rigid. Something about the way his son was standing reminded him of a time, long ago…

…flashback...

"Ichigo? Are you ok?" Isshin ran over to his 6-year-old son, standing in the middle of a football field. Ichigo was standing straight, his back rigid, like he was staring at something.

His clothes had dirt marks over them, and his orange hair was ruffled. His skin had several cuts and grazes upon them.

He seems ok.

Isshin turned his 6-year-old son around to face him. "Yo. What happened? Di…" his voice died off. Tears were streaming down Ichigo's face as he cried silently.

...

Well son…you're big now, you wouldn't want me to comfort you like last time…

Ichigo just stood there, motionless, flipping pancakes.

- - -

Rukia finished off her traditional Japanese breakfast, and ran back up her stairs. As she passed her bedroom on the way to the bathroom she noticed the window of the neighbour's house.

As she brushed her teeth, she thought about what her brother had told her as she was having breakfast.

"We have new neighbours."

"Oh? That's nice." Rukia paused, unsure of what to say. Her relationship with her brother was…limited. "Er…I hope they're nice."

"Hmm…" was his short reply.

She finished brushing her teeth, and looked at the drain, as the bubbles from the toothpaste swirled around, and around, and around.

I wonder who they are…

She stopped by her room to grab her schoolbag.

- - -

"Ok. I'll be leaving in a couple of minutes."

His father looked up from the last box. "Ok."

Ichigo dashed up the stairs, brushed his teeth quickly, then at looked himself in the mirror. He was wearing his school uniform, a sickly white shirt that was tucked into grey dress pants. He wore his pants on his hips, as was the accepted fashion among teenage boys. Wrapped around his waist was a white belt, matching his white socks.

He looked at his watch. He would have enough time.

Stopping by his bedroom to grab his schoolbag, he noticed that the blinds of his window were open. Absentmindedly he made his way towards the window to close them.

- - -

As she looked up one last time from retrieving her schoolbag off the ground, she saw him.

For a couple of moments she just stared. Bright orange hair, a face that looked like it never smiled, and dressed in her school uniform, was trying to close the blinds.

A boy?

- - -

As he was struggling to close the blinds he noticed that he could see right into one of the neighbour's bedrooms, as it was adjacent to his. Must have slipped his mind last night, in the hurry of moving. Shrugging the thought away, he finally got a hang of how to close the blinds.

And then he saw her. It was just a fleeting glimpse, but he saw raven coloured hair, a white school uniform, and a short grey skirt that matched his grey pants. The same school?

Before he could wonder more, the blinds shut. Ichigo blinked. So now they decided to close.

- - -

"Rukia." Her brother's voice, even though soft, still carried all the way upstairs. "Are you going to school?"

"A-ah, yes. I'll be right there nii-sama!"

As she sat in the car, she peered anxiously at her neighbour's house. Maybe she would see that guy. No such luck.

Her brother drove her quickly and safely to school as he usually did. "Take care."

"I will. Thank-you, nii-sama." And with that, she opened the door of their black Mercedes Benz, trying to ignore the giggles that floated down from all the windows on all the floors of the school.

As usual, most of the female population of the school had gathered around to get a glimpse at the infamous Kuchiki Byakuya. Rukia shrugged. She was used to this treatment.

Ever since her first day of high school, when her brother had driven her, there were always groups of girls ogling over her brother. Disgusting, she decided as she walked through the school gates.

"I can tell just what you're thinking by your face," a cheery voice interrupted her thoughts.

Rukia looked up to meet the happy smile of one of her close friends. A girl with rather large…err…assets, strawberry blonde hair, looks that would make most guys drool, if they weren't busy looking elsewhere, Rangiku Matsumoto.

Rukia smiled back. "Good morning," she replied to her friend's comment. Even though Matsumoto did have looks that would probably place her in the 'snobbish, posh' group, she wasn't. Once you got to know her, it was obvious that she was quite the opposite, a rather down-to-earth girl, if not a bit lazy.

The girl had been attracted to Rukia's quietness during the first term of their high school together, and the two friends had stuck together since.

"I know what you're thinking," Matsumoto sighed to herself, "You're probably plotting some way to squish all those girls who are currently drooling over your brother."

"Um. No." Rukia's reply was as bland as she could make it.

"Whatever," Matsumoto paused, looking back at the spot where her Mercedes Benz had been, "You can't really blame them, though. Your brother is hot, regardless of what you think."

"Ugh. Could you not talk about my brother like that?"

Her friend laughed. "Fine, fine, but I'm only saying what every other girl in school is saying."

"Yeah, that's why its disgusting."

"Grades seven upwards, just so you know."

Rukia sighed. But inwardly, it was good to get back to school. Enough moping about over Renji. But, she missed him badly. If this was a normal year, right now he'd be by her side, glaring at any guy that happened to chance his gaze of her. Either that, or he'd be boasting about the mark he got in the last test, or trying to crack a stupid joke.

Matsumoto was still blabbering on about how she should keep an open mind, because even if Byakuya was her brother, he still was hot, and that was undeniable.

Rukia let out another sigh, this time rather loud. She glared at her friend to stop blabbering, even though she knew that Matsumoto was only doing it to cheer her up.

"Seriously. If you want to cheer me up, it is not done by telling me about how hot my brother is," she said as she stopped in front of her locker.

Matsumoto stopped with her. "Aw, you found out what I was trying to do." She pouted prettily, then shifted her voice into a much more serious tone. "I know you miss him, Rukia."

"Hmmph." That was all the emotion she was going to convey to her friend. "Anyway, don't worry about me. He told me he's coming back so…" her voice drifted off as she felt the insides of her locker to retrieve her school shoes.

"Yeah…but still…" Matsumoto grabbed her school shoes from inside her locker. She was just worried about her friend. Yesterday, when Renji had told Rukia that he was going, she hadn't taken it very well. Not very well at all. She had received a phone call from Rukia late that afternoon, when Renji had told her.

flashback…

"Hello?" After a few moments of silence, she finally heard the voice on the other line speak.

"Matsumoto?"

"Yes? Rukia?"

"C-can…we meet somewhere?"

"What? We've got school tomorrow. Isn't it a bit late?"

"Please…"

Something in Rukia's voice hit Matusumoto. She sighed. "Ok, meet me at the park."

Beep. Beep. Beep.

What could have happened? Matsumoto wondered as she walked to the nearby park. Rukia was already there, sitting alone on the park bench. Daylight was fading fast.

"Rukia?" Matsumoto asked, standing in front of the other girl. Rukia had her hands in front of her face. She was crying.

"Rukia, what's wrong?"

"Renji…"

Matsumoto wondered to herself as she put on her school shoes in the locker area. Was she really ok? Knowing Rukia, she would just bottle it all inside. When she had left yesterday, she seemed ok, but that probably was just a shell. At least, for now she seemed ok, but she wished that Rukia would open up more. It would help her problems become a lot easier to handle.

Even talking to Renji, when Rukia encountered a rather emotional time when a close friend of hers had passed away, Rukia choose to spoke little of what hurt her. Renji seemed to understand that she bottled things away, so he let her. All he could do was be there for her.

She finished putting on her other shoe, and she waited for Rukia to do the same. Rukia was taking an awfully long time. She looked to where her friend was standing. And she was doing exactly that. She was just standing, or more precisely, staring.

Rangiku followed her friend's gaze, and saw what she was staring at. And so was half the school.

A kid with bright orange hair had entered through the school gate. A permanent frown was upon his face as he walked the distance between the school gate and the locker area. He seemed oblivious to the ruckus he was causing. How could that be? Whispers could be even heard from where Matsumoto and Rukia stood.

"Is that a new guy?"

"Look at his hair." Giggles.

"Does that guy think he's tough? Because he's dyed his hair orange?"

"Pfft. What a try-hard."

"Does he want to stand out?"

"I can't believe the school would allow someone like him into here."

"I bet he thinks he'll be popular." Sneers.

"I hate try-hards."

The bright orange hair really stood out. The guy himself, well, his uniform was worn properly. Well, almost properly, Matsumoto noticed. He had tucked his shirt in, but his pants were worn at his hips. He walked with his school bag draped over his shoulder, and his grey school jacket matched his pants.

Half the school's eyes were on him as he walked down the pathway. The guy still seemed oblivious to all the attention. Until Matsumoto heard what someone said, when the orange-haired boy had reached around halfway to the locker area.

"Do you think you're tough, kid?" Her ears pricked at the sound of that voice. Jack Grimmjow. Better known as Jaguar. The guy had an elvis-style hair cut, and a jaw that stuck out to the sides. It suited his name. That voice belonged to the leader of a gang of seniors that bullied anyone weaker than them. Strength comes in numbers, so that meant basically everyone.

However, he had left the girl's group alone, but only because they were the most popular group in the school. Also, with Renji hanging around them because of Rukia, the risk wasn't really worth it, as most people knew Renji was a seasoned street fighter. He had demonstrated that when he was only in eighth grade, when Grimmjow had tried to flirt with Rukia.

The orange haired kid stopped. This was the only comment that was actually directed at him.

"So, you've finally got up the nerve to actually say something to me." The whole school almost let out a gasp simultaneously. The kid was practically signing his death wish.

"Ohohoho… So you can talk trash, eh?" Grimmjow signalled to the rest of his gang, who slank out of the shadows. "Let's see how well that mouth talks after we're done with you."

Rangiku groaned. It was the first day of school, and a fight already? She peeked at her friend. Rukia just stood there, staring, her other shoe forgotten on the wooden floor.

The tension heightened as Grimmjow and his group of thugs moved towards the orange haired kid. Some of his gang members had moved around to behind the boy, encircling him.

"We should get help."

Rangiku looked down in surprise at her short friend, surprised that she actually cared. "Yeah…" But the both of them didn't move. They wanted to know what would happen.

- - -

AN: And so do you! (Want to know what happens that is) XD lol, well that's enough for tonight, my head is hurting from looking at the screen too much. Otherwise, I would've written the fight XD… For the character who would do the bad guy gang member sort of thing, I did think of Zaraki, who would fit the physical description, but I kinda like Zaraki's character, because he doesn't want to fight people who are weak. … lol…anyway, since this fic is secondary to ASJ, the only reason why I will update will be…reviews XD!