Ichigo's POV~
When I got to school that morning, everything seemed so nostaligic to me... in a good way. Even waking up to my dad's warrior cry made me a little bit happier than normal. After being home away for five years really makes you glad to be back.
I didn't even take one step through the school without sensing the presence of a demon close by me. That sent shivers and goosebumps against my spine, in a terrible way. My eyes glanced back and forth, but then something small and smiling jumped against my back.
"Ichigo! You're back!" She exclaimed into my ear, her hands grasping my shirt so she wouldn't fall to the floor.
With a little help from me, she was able to clench her hands together around my neck. Deciding to mess with her, I spun around in a circle until she kicked me behind the knee. Before I fell to the floor, she jumped off into someone's waiting arms and laughed at me.
"That's what you get!" She shouted, sticking out her tounge to me as I felt myself fall faceforward with a "thud."
Angrily, I got to my knees and started to get up with a slight headache forming. But thankfully, a slender hand came into view, as auburn hair flew right into my face. Grinning, I grasped her gentle hand, and felt her squeeze back in joy.
"Wow, you're alot taller than before." The second girl gasped happily, as she helped me back up with enthusiasm in her golden eyes.
"Glad to see you're alive. Thought they had killed you by now." My best friend snickered at me with a "welcome back" pat to the back.
"...Nice to see you again." The tallest guy amongst us said, half-smiling and half-hiding behind the bubbly girls I called friends.
"Hey Rukia, Orihime, Renji...Chad." I laughed to the monotone boy, holding my hand out for our normal greeting procedure.
He smiled for real this time, and grasped my hand tightly in a manly handshake. Rukia pulled out her beaten up notebook and flipped through it until she found something. Then, when Chad's back was turned, she revealed what should've been a bunny like creature and grinned.
"Am I any better?" She questioned me, her big dark blue eyes desperately waiting for my honest opinion.
"Kind of...but they still look kinda childish." I honestly said (hey, I was honest), but she took it offensively and hit the side of my head with the notebook.
"Ichigo you jerk!" She cried as she ran to the girls bathroom without a backwards glance towards us.
"Ichigo! Oh...Rukia wait!" Orihime scolded and sighed as she rushed to Rukia to console with her.
"Ya know she was all excited to show you. Could've been a bit nicer after being away for five years." Renji sighed heavily, scratching the back of his neck as we listened to the soft sobbing of his girlfriend.
Chad nodded whole heartedly, but stayed silent the entire time. That awkward silence between the three of us made me realize that for once, Renji was right. Damn you Chad, you're silence really kills me sometimes you know?"
"Guess I should apologize later huh?" I smirked, which relieved us of the awkward unsteady silence between us.
"Welcome back Kurosaki." A cool and calm voice greeted to me, even though it sent a shiver down my spine.
"Ishida! You look good. So I guess you made it?" I joked with the tall, frail-looking boy who went and became my number one rival in training camp.
"Obviously. I'm not an idiot." He retorted back, walking past us and smirking that annoying snooty grin at us.
"Glad to see you're normal." I sighed angrily, and was about to slap his arm, when a tiny teacher came out of nowhere.
"Ah, Ichigo Kurosaki no?" He said to me, his eyes running up and down my bpdy without missing a beat.
I felt myself shiver again, and a small gulp got caught in my throat. I wasn't afraid, but this guy gave me the heebie-geebies if you know what I mean. Something about him made me think he was that type who could go both ways.
"Yeah, your Mr. Hakomo no?"
"Yes, I hope you and I can get along this year. Will you come this way?" He asked me, pointing his finger towards the hallway.
"Sure... see ya guys later then." I sighed tiredly, waving my wrist to them with my back against them.
I followed Mr. Hakomo all the way to the classrooms that started with "One" in them. Somehow, my grades were amazing, so I was sent to the smart people classes while my friends got into the "Two" classes. I wasn't mad at them, but I was kinda angry at myself for actually giving a crap about school.
"Kurosaki, if you would please wait a moment." Mr. Hakomo asked me as we stood outside the classroom.
I looked down at him, and then the classroom door. How long were we standing there in silence? Was he just staring at me the whole time? Creeper...
"No rush." I told him with my best smile, which thankfully was enough for him to leave me.
After he left, I let out a breath I was holding in for the longest time. Why, you may ask? One, the cologne Hakomo was wearing really bothered my allergies. And second, the presence from earlier was much closer and heavier than before. Yet somehow, I couldn't pinpoint where it wwas.
"Where are you?" I asked myself again, the anger of waiting five minutes finally getting the best of me.
"Please help him just for a little while?" I overheard Hakomo plead loudly, the sound of hands clapping together following right after him.
Curiousity got the best of me, so ever so sneakily, I peered into the classroom. Hakomo was half-begging, half-talking to two girls standing in front of his desk. These girls seemed to stand out against everyone else... well, besides me in a way.
The tallest of the two was very slim, not too thick, but not too skinny. She had long, black curls that rolled down past her shoulders. A friendly grin was on her face, lightening up her shiny, black eyes as she answered Hakomo. She was very pretty, but she was also normal looking, so I gave her an eight out of ten.
...Hey. Guys get bored easily, don't judge me.
When I turned to the second girl, I hadn't realized she was half listening to the conversation. She turned towards me, but I escaped her glance in the last second. I wished I got a better glance of her, but that little glimpse took my breath away.
She had baby blue eyes that glistened in the early morning clouds. Short, red hair that contrasted so well against her eyes moved everytime she turned her head to sigh at Hakomo's words.
"Whoa..." I smiled to myself, as my legs took me down to the ground and I just sat there for the time being.
Why was such a pretty girl here in this school? She seemed so out of place, it wasn't even funny how distant she was from others.
"Ichigo...you can come in." Hakomo called from the doorway, a gently expression all over his face.
With a heavy sigh, I entered a silent class, all their eyes fixated on me and me alone. When I glanced to the side, I saw the cutie from earlier, and paused. She wasn't even looking at me, she was staring out the window with a bored expression on her face.
"This'll get her to see me." I laughed in my head menically, clearing my throat before carefully choosing my words to say.
Then I made a loud anouncment, that made everyone's eyes pop in awe. Even she had to look, then her eyes dialated a tiny bit too. She wore a blush on her cheeks as I continued to stare towards her as I spoke.
When I finished, I smiled softly, earning small squeals of moe from the girls in the class. An even brighter blush grew on her face, and she turned away and stared back into the window. I turned to Hakomo, and waited as he chose a spot for me to sit.
"Ayuko...please stand up."
The same blue-eyed girl stood up, and held her head up high. Compared to me, she was barley to my chest...not even to my shoulders. I could tell her blush was gone, but now was replaced by an overpowering amount of confidence in her.
She smiled at me when I came near, which I replied with a nod. As I sat down, I heard her chuckle soflty for some reason.
Why did she laugh? Was I funny to her?
... Look at me. I haven't even been back to school for an hour, and I'm already freaking out about how people think of me. Cool man, real cool. REalizing how ridiculous I was acting, I laughed myself and glanced back to see her one last time. She was grinning to herself, a tan hand under her chin as she occupied her time with looking out the window.
Maybe things won't be so bad after all...
A few days went by without a problem yet, which was a good sign. I noticed that Ayuko girl was in nearly all my classes, and so was Mushima besides English and my last class. But besides that, my attention was always fixated on Ayuko.
And whose gaze wouldn't follow her? She stood out with that fire-red hair of her, and her even more sparkly blue eyes. The fact that she never really smiled except for when she was with Mushima made her even more mysterious.
Well, maybe not mysterious, more like she didn't want to be around people really badly. Which brought me to my next question:
What's the deal with her and people?
"So Kurosaki? Where'd you go for four years?" This tiny girl asked me during class one, paticular day.
It was English, and everyone was supposed to work on this poem all period. But, since our teacher said we could have a partner, nearly everyone in the class was messing around. Except Ayuko, she was working diligently like some other kids in the class.
"Oh, I lived in the country for awhile. You know, Kyushu...or somewhere near that." I said semi-truthfully, smirking a bit for an added touch.
Honestly, I wanted to get through this poem so I could relax, but these guys were just annoying today. Some girls out of nowhere laughed in idiocracy, and they guys were awing at me in amazement. I had barley glance over to Ayuko, when she started giggling under her breath as well.
"What was so funny?" I asked myself, half-confused and half-hurt at how she was laughing at the exact moment they were.
"Hey, you guys get this poem? It doesn't make sense, "Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs,-"? What the hell does that mean?" One of the boys, Keigo, asked in annoyance, and slammed the paper down with a thud.
I looked back to the paper, and scowled bitterly to it. Even I, who had one of the highest grades in English, was confused on this paper.
"Why don't you go ask Ayu. She might know." The questioning girl from earlier said with a small hint of fustration under her breath.
"Ayuko? For real? She scares the living crap out of me."
"Only because the first time you spoke to her, you tried to be creepy to her and she punched you square in the face." The girl said out loud, earning some whistles and burn remarks from those around her.
"Honestly, that's why she glares at you, so don't be a weirdo next time. She's still a girl, no matter how she acts."
I lost my voice when that girl, I think it was Hinamori, spoke above everyone else. She looked to timid, and yet, when Keigo started talking bad about Ayuko, she stood up for her. Glancing back to Ayu, she was grinning in a bit of glee even though her headphones were in.
Brownie points for Hinamori.
"I'm going to ask her." I finally said, standing up and scratching the desk against the floor so everyone knew I wasn't coming back.
Something in the back of my head told me they were watching me, but that didn't really matter to me. Biting my lips, I was about to speak outloud, when I heard the sound of drums emitting from Ayuko's headphones. I stopped, perplexed at how loud her music was, and how she was still working like a mad man. But, letting go of that, I cleared my throat, and gently tapped her shoulder.
She turned back to look at me, her blue eyes confused at the touch of my hands. She then went to a look of irritation, and didn't even hide the sigh of vexation.
"Yes?" She asked me, her voice still soft as satin while pushing that bright red hair of hers out of her eyes.
"Um... could you help me out? I realize we haven't really spoken to each other, but I don't get this at all."
"What about your friends over there?" She asked me bitterly, pointing her head towards my so-called friends from earlier.
"They're not the smartest people here, and you're actually doing your work... so?" My voice came out softly, my hands clenching my paper tightly, and hoping she would say yes.
She looked at me, to the people, and then back to me. A change of emotions came over her, from confusion, to fustration, to a somewhat sympathetic look. Sighing yet again, she removed her headphones, wrapped them in a small bundle, and placed them bcak into her backpack. She then turned back to me, and look up to me with a apologetic look in her eyes.
"I... don't see why not. Sometimes it is a lot easier when you work with someone. Pull up a chair, Kurosaki." She smiled honestly, gesturing with her hands to the nearby chair.
I couldn't help to gawk at how innocent and childish-looking she actually was up close. Those eyes seemed much larger when she was smiling, and her voice was a lot higher than I realized.
"Um... sure, thanks a lot." I laughed, reaching backwards to pull the chair closer to her as she scooted a little closer to me.
Okay... so far so good. Let's hope I won't mess things up anymore.