Second chapter! And another short one as well. As the story progresses the chapters will get longer so just please bare with it for now. Oh, I also forgot the disclaimer on the first chapter so…

Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach.

Black and White

Chapter 2: Arrival

"Taichou!"

"Matsumoto, stay back!"

Least to say the young prodigy of the tenth was not pleased. Introductions and being eyed by dozens of pairs of eyes was not something he liked. And by ignorant humans no less. So just being "not pleased" could not even begin to describe his mood right now.

"Class, we have a new student today!"

No. He was down right pissed.

"Now Hitsugaya-san, would you please introduce yourself?" she asked, oblivious to the fact that she had already done so.

He made a mental note to get revenge on a certain busty lieutenant later on.

"Hai…" was his dull reply. Though he was completely miffed on the inside, his outer appearance showed of nonchalance and boredom.

"My name is Hitsugaya Toushirou. Please to meet you," and he made a mock bow.

And immediately the class began to whisper among themselves.

"His hair's white!" one stated.

"Check out the eyes!" another said.

"Isn't he too young to be here?" someone asked.

"Ha! A chibi like him is going to be in our class? Please, gimme a break."

Hitsugaya twitched in annoyance. All too familiar of all this was he. What he hadn't expected was when he looked up, Kurosaki was staring at him.

He had expected this of course. Their arrival was unannounced. Just wait until he saw who else was here.

But the stare that the substitute shinigami was giving him was not of shock or surprise, rather it was of confusion. Confusion of what, he did not know. Though it certainly did not involve his unexpected arrival.

Finally noticing that he was being stared back, Kurosaki looked away.

The rest of the morning had gone had gone fairly smoothly. Hitsugaya zoned out on most of the lesson to contemplate on other things. Besides if there was anything more boring, it had to be learning the same things over again. The sensei had occasionally asked him a few questions, but after answering all of them perfectly, she hadn't bothered him again.

He had caught Ichigo glancing at him several times but he had turned away before he could fully catch him. After a while, he stopped, so Hitsugaya let it go.

When lunch finally arrived, everyone had assembled on the roof top of the school. Sure enough, Ichigo had lost all brain function when he saw the others, even when Rukia had informed him beforehand.

It was only when everybody had finally settled down, and began eating their lunch or was chatting amiably, that Hitsugaya caught the human staring at him again. This time he didn't let it go as easily.

"Oi, Kurosaki," Hitsugaya whispered harshly, just low enough so that nobody else would hear. "Is there something wrong?"

"Oh, sorry…" Ichigo sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "It's just that…there—there's something different about you."

"Different?" Hitsugaya's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I—I'm not sure actually. It's just that—well…" Ichigo trailed off, unsure of how to word it.

"Forget it," he finished. "It's probably nothing."

---

"Oi, you're back! So, do we have another one joining us?"

"Can't tell, I'll have ta' getta' closer look ta' make sure."

"And just how do you expect to do that?"

"Don't worry; I've got it all thought out."

Bright…

That was the only word to describe it. Either because of the blinding light or vast white emptiness, there was nothing in sight. Whispers were heard coming from seemingly nowhere, getting louder and louder until distinct voices were audible.

"Kill him!" a man yelled.

"It was a massacre!" a woman cried.

"Send him to execution!" they all shouted.

The sound of a hammer hitting wood immediately hushed the voices. A humanoid figure was seen, the front facing the other way. All that could be made out was the figure seemed to be restrained; anything else was shadowed by the light.

"Silence!" a voice ordered; an older voice. "You are brought here today to be charged for high treason – mass killing of the innocent, rebellion of the court, and attempted assassination of the King himself. Do you have anything to say in your defense?"

"…No…" the figure replied.

"Very well… You shall be executed tomorrow at dawn, and your soul shall be cast down to the mortal realm. Guards! Take him away!"

The last thing he saw was the figure grin.

To Be Continued…

I don't know why but I always seem to forget to say these things on the first chapter. This story is AU-ish so some things are changed in the story such as the timeline, which shall take place closer to winter (maybe near end of November. Let's just say the Bounto arc took place the entire time in between). Ichigo has already started his training as a Vizard for a while now, and the incident with Ulquiorra and Yammy never happened. There are also some changes to certain events but those will be revealed later on. Hmm… I think that should be all. Next chapter will probably be longer but no guarantees (but it won't be shorter). 'Til then, reviews appreciated!