Chapter two: Ichigo
I glanced over to the seat to my right, where the new girl, Hanako sat. I didn't mind her, except when she started talking. Her voice was too high pitched and she had way too much energy for someone our age. It just wasn't right. It wasn't her seat to sit in, and she was inconsiderate in the way she just sat down without even asking if the seat was taken. You see, the truth is, the seat was taken.
She was talking in the background, and it was really aggravating. I tried to tune her out. Instead, I just listened to the gentle pit pat of the rain on the sidewalk and the windowsill. The sky was a cloudy gray, one that wasn't quite light, and also pale, but not horrific. It looked beautiful to me. Like calm water in a river, gently swirling about tiny feet as fish swam by, nibbling at tiny toes. But I knew it wouldn't stay like this. I knew it would get dark and black, and swallow the world whole. At least, my world.
"Hey, Ichigo. Why're you looking at me like that?" she said. There it was. That annoying voice again. Would it ever end? Probably not.
"What? Oh. Nothing," I couldn't stop thinking about her. Ever since she left this world, she's stuck in my mind.
"No, silly! I said why are you looking at me like that?" it was back. I'd barely had time to recover from the last attack the beast had thrown at me. "You like me, don't you?" she asked. Actually, quite the opposite.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night," I responded carelessly. I wondered if she'd heard about it. What was I kidding, of course she'd heard. The whole school knew about mine and Inoue's break up. I'd decided to go out with Inoue shortly after Rukia left. I missed her, but I wasn't about to admit that to anyone. Even now, I still won't admit it. But I thought that by dating Inoue, it would seem like I didn't care what Rukia thought of me, or her reasons for leaving. But at this point, I'm just too tired to think about it. I just want to go home. Thank goodness this is the last day of the school week. June first.
I was beginning to relax in the only safe haven I had left from the world, my head, when I was interrupted. "HOLLOW! HOLLOW!" it screamed at me, and I jumped. All of the sudden, the class turned and looked at me. I had forgotten that they couldn't see my badge.
"Uh… bathroom!" I explained while dashing out of the room.
"Good luck, kurosaki!" I heard Inoue exclaim in a quiet voice heard by only myself as I ran out the door.
We had broken up on good terms. She still was my friend, and we got along well enough these days, if not like we used to before… well, before this whole mess. I reached in my pocket for my trusty gikongan, and remembered how excited Rukia was when she finally got chappy.
"Ichigo! Ichigo!" she exclaimed, "look what I've found!"
"What, shorty? Is it another shiny American penny?" she always freaked out when she saw shiny things. I swear that girl has ADD.
"No, baka, it's chappy!" she said in a chipper voice. I knew this was it. I'd seen that thing before in her body, and I didn't want it in mine.
"Here ya go!" she chirped as she thrust the small toyish object into my hands.
She was so excited, and I couldn't bear to disappoint her, she just looked so… no. Stop it. I have a hollow to fight, and I can't afford to be running around with my judgment clouded by thoughts of the past. Just focus on now, and what's going on.
My shinigami body was strong, so much stronger than my human form, and it felt so easy to relax and just let my body take over. No need for regrets or empty thoughts of the past, just pounding feet and dripping sweat. Rain splattered my body, and it felt good, cooling my heated muscles, working in harmony with them to create the ideal team.
The hollow was moving quickly, as if it were on the hunt, chasing something. Probably renji, he wasn't at school anyways. I had figured Urahara had kept him so he could exploit his free work, but I guess he had found a break.
Yup, it must have been renji, because seconds later, it disappeared. But something just didn't feel right. I felt a shiver go down my spine, and had to sit down. The rain wasn't so nice any more. It was cold and harsh, but also something familiar, something I remember feeling before. But just as soon as the feeling was there, it passed. I got up and shunpoed back to class, rain stinging my eyes, blinding me as my body worked to get away from the very mechanism that it so desperately desired earlier. Right as I sat in my seat, I felt the same shiver go down my spine as I had felt earlier.
"Wow, Ichigo! That sure took a long time. Sure you weren't just trying to get out of class?" said the stupid high pitched voice.
"I'm positive," I said. I know, not the snappiest retort, but it shut her up nevertheless.
"Class, I have-" began the teacher, only to be interrupted by students. "Class… CLASS! Now that I have your attention, I have an announcement to make. We have a new student," she said gesturing behind her. I couldn't see them though, because I was at such an angle that the teacher was blocking my sight. The class began talking again.
"Class! I'm not done yet. Now I want you to give Ms. Kuchiki a warm welcome, and make sure she's happy. Miss Kuchiki, we are about to go to lunch and you can find a place to sit after you come back." she finished. Only I stopped hearing after the first "Ms. Kuchiki." I knew damn well who it was. But I didn't know how she would react, or I would, since that day. I wanted it to be like old times, but then again, I wanted it to be different, too.
"Hey, Ichigo." she said. She sounded sad. I was so glad to see her though, that I couldn't help but smile at her sweet demeanor.
"Back off, bitch," the shrill voice said. Oh shit, it was my stalker. "Ichigo already has one cute short friend. Two's a party, three's a crowd, and I want to par-tay."
"Yeah, Hanako, that's a good idea," I responded to her angry snap, "I'll just hang out with the cute, short girl that I've known the longest. The one I've fallen in love with…" I added the last part quietly, but from the looks on their faces, I knew they'd both heard.
"Yeah, the cute short girl he's known the longest," Hanako snapped at Rukia.
"Ah, Hanako, I hate to break it to you, but Rukia and I used to go to school together a little while ago. Ask Ishida. Or Inoue, or Sado, or Tatsuki, or hell, even Renji when he gets back. And while you're at it, you probably should give Rukia her seat back. I can't stand it when people rudely walk up to chairs and just sit down like they've done it all their life." yeah, I know at this point I was just being mean, but I guess it was her attitude towards Rukia that set me off.
I also guess I'd always sort of acted protective around Rukia. It's just… I mean, I saved her life for crying out loud! And… she saved mine…
