Author's Note:

LOL I'M SUCH A JERK.

I'm sorry it took me about five million years to get this out. I wrote just about nothing my senior year of high school aside from my NaNoWriMo novel and I fell out of touch with Bleach for a while. I occasionally went back to read this, though, and it made me really sad that I had dropped it because I had so much planned. I brought it out of the "Gross Old Stuff" file every now and then, but I never wrote anything else, so I kept returning it.

But now, after finally catching myself up on all the chapters (I spent literally all day reading nothing but Bleach the other day), I am inspired and my love for Bleach has returned and intensified! It will always be my baby fandom. ; w;

Thank you so so so so much to everyone who reviewed despite my being a horrible author. Queen Espada, mind . m a e l s t r o m, Claamchowder, Eternity Crystal, sanzo-reload, kitten652, and Onepiecewonder - you're all awesome! :D


Castle in the Clouds
a Bleach (© Kubo Tite) fanfiction

Chapter Three
prima donna

Opening Song: "time machine" - Alice Nine


Kurosaki Ichigo had learned to expect less than normal mornings. He had learned to expect his flamboyant father kicking his way into his room. He had learned to expect the whining of an obnoxious stuffed animal longing for his "onee-san." He had even learned to expect shinigami crawling out from his closet. That being said, he couldn't help but be slightly disappointed in himself when he cried out in surprise upon returning home from school.

"R-Rangiku-san! Hisagi! What are you doing here!"

The two shinigami, along with Orihime, Ishida, and Chad were seated at the dining room table, each of them sipping a cup of tea. "How the hell did all of you even get in here!" His brown optics darted around his home, searching for some sign of forced entry.

"Karin-chan let us in," Orihime chirped merrily.

"You should stop being a delinquent and come home after school so that your sister isn't left to watch the house alone, Kurosaki," Ishida added, calmly sipping his tea.

"Shut the hell up! What are all of you even doing here?" the berryhead demanded again, now seething.

"Maa, maa, there's no need to yell, Ichigo~" Rangiku flicked her wrist up and down with a goofy grin on her face. "Can't friends just stop by and say 'hello'?" The eldest Kurosaki was tempted to ask, 'Since when were all of you classified as friends?,' but he gave in with a sigh and took the last remaining seat at the table. "We've been waiting here for a while, though, Ichigo. What were you doing?"

He shrugged. "Keigo wanted to go to the mall." He decided to leave out the fact that the over dramatic brunet had clung to his leg and sobbed so loudly that Ichigo had no choice but to go. He scratched the back of his head in irritation at the memory, then scowled at the new problem (rather, problem-to-be) in front of him. Over the past couple of years he had learned that with shinigami came trouble, and that trouble resulted in a chain of unfortunate events that drew him in whether or not he wanted to be involved. "Seriously. Why are you two here?"

Rangiku pouted. "You're no fun, Ichigo."

"We've been assigned another mission," Shuuhei answered, smiling apologetically.

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"

Ichigo listened with vague interest as Shuuhei explained the situation, with Rangiku adding a comment or two along the way. So there were random bursts of reiatsu originating in Karakura (of course it had to be Karakura; all problems dealing with Soul Society just had to take place in his hometown), and they were sent here to clean it up. It sounded like an easy enough mission to him. "Sounds like fun," he said tonelessly once the dark-haired shinigami had finished his explanation.

"Oi, you could at least pretend you care," Rangiku scolded with a pout.

He shrugged. "It sounds like the two of you can handle it yourselves."

"Well, that's how it sounds like at first," Shuuhei replied, strategically cutting off a seething Rangiku. "We've already encountered a couple problems while we've been here," he admitted with slight embarrassment.

Ichigo couldn't help but groan. "God, and you've been here for, what? Two days?"

Before either of the shinigami could answer, a tired, "Oiii, Ichi-nii," interrupted the conversation. All eyes shifted to Karin, who in turn paid no mind to the plethora of guests sitting at the Kurosaki dining table. "Remember to pick up Yuzu from her ballet lessons. Dad says he's gonna be working over time today so he won't be able to."

"Yeah, whatever. What time does she get out?"

"Six."

Ichigo looked at the clock before giving his sister a deadpan look. "Karin, it's five fifty-five."

The twin shrugged indifferently as she headed back to her room. "Guess you better hurry than."

Biting back a curse, Ichigo got out of his seat and walked towards the door, stopping only when he realized that five pairs of eyes were following him curiously. "Yeah right, like leaving all of them in my house is gonna make them disappear." Turning to face all of them with a glare, he pointed out the open door. "All of you, get out."

"But Ichigoo~! We're not discussing the problem yet," Rangiku persisted.

"It's not a problem until it's threatening the state of the world," he snapped irritably. "And my house is not a meeting place! Get out!"

One by one, each of his guests headed out the door, with only Ishida commenting, "What horrible hosting skills."

Ichigo's brow twitched, though he said nothing to the Quincy as he slammed the door shut behind him. Each party went their separate way, with Orihime, Rangiku, and Shuuhei heading west, Ishida heading south, and Chad heading east. Ichigo shook his head at the company before heading north, towards the local ballet studio.

The Karakura Ballet Studio was fairly small, as it had previously been a thrift store in a small shopping mall before the current owner bought it. The owner and head instructor claimed to have been a Prima Donna at the Russian ballet, and though Ichigo doubted she could even speak a word of Russian, she certainly had the diva-like attitude. She shrieked at the ten-year-old students (in an obviously fake accent) almost as much as she slammed her diamond-encrusted staff on the wood floor. All in all, Ichigo tried to avoid contact with Amamiya Harue as much as possible.

He peered into the small studio, automatically cringing when he spotted the familiar gaudy fur coat. "Dammit," he cursed under his breath as he slipped inside. Fortunately, Amamiya seemed so preoccupied with harassing one of her students that she failed to notice him entering. He shimmied along the wall, towards a dark corner, where no one would―

"So, did you finally get sick of loitering around town like a creep, Kurosaki?"

He twitched at the high, oh-so-feminine voice that betrayed his location. "Mind your own business, Daitokuji," he replied tartly, glaring at the tiny female.

"You know," she continued with a sly look, "we're giving a discount for the first month for newcomers. I'd be more than happy to take another Kurosaki under my wing."

Yuzu's head popped out from behind Arisu, revealing wide, questioning eyes. "Onii-chan? Is it time to go already?"

He nodded. "Yeah. It's six."

"Okay, let me go get changed first." Yuzu skipped off the wooden floor, towards the girls' dressing room in the corner.

Ichigo sighed irritably as he rubbed the back of his neck. He didn't want to spend anymore time in this place than absolutely necessary. "I'm surprised you're even here," Arisu commented offhandedly. "You look like you just ate road kill."

"I'd rather eat road kill than be here," he thought with a deadpan expression. "Why wouldn't I wanna be here? I get to hang out with lovely people like you." They shared a sarcastic smile. "Did you get demoted or something?" he asked, glancing around at the younger students.

She scowled. "You don't get demoted in ballet, dumbass. I'm helping Amamiya-sensei teach the class."

"Did I hear my name?" Arisu grinned at the look of pain on Ichigo's face as the flamboyantly dressed instructor strode towards them. "Oh! Young Master Kurosaki, I didn't see you come in. Have you come to join us?" she asked, wiggling her eyebrows in a way that thoroughly weirded him out.

He wearily took a step backwards. "Uh, no, I'm just picking up Yuzu."

Amamiya's ruby red lips shifted into a frown. "For shame. We could use more men like you in the program." She rested a hang on his bicep, causing him to visibly shiver and jump back. While Amamiya furrowed her brow in confusion, Arisu snickered loudly.

"Yeah, Kurosaki," the redhead began snidely, "grace us with your manly wiles."

"Yuzu!" an abused Ichigo shouted. "Hurry up!"

Like an angel descending from Heaven, Yuzu came skipping out of the dressing room, flats and bag in hand. "What's wrong, Onii-chan?" she asked, curiously looking between her brother, senpai, and instructor.

"We gotta go," he grumbled, already halfway out the door.

"Be sure to take my offer into consideration!" Amamiya cried after him. "Try and convince your brother again, yes, Yuzu-chan?" she requested, smiling brightly at the little girl.

Yuzu nodded determinedly. "Yes, sensei!" With a confident gleam in her eye, she exited the studio in pursuit of her brother.

Amamiya sharply turned towards her assistant. "Is it necessary to harass him like that?"

Arisu scoffed dismissively. "Please, sensei, he probably trips over his own feet while getting out of bed. For him, signing up for ballet would be like signing up for a suicide class."

"But I think he would make fine addition to the studio," she mumbled with a small pout.

Arisu nearly gagged. "Gee, I wonder why."

"Anyways, Arisu, please finish up the fifth position with that group over there. You can change and head home after that."

"Sure." She walked over to the small group in the corner, which was composed of three girls and one boy. "Alright, left hand on the bar, then first position..."

To say that Arisu was disgruntled would have been a massive understatement. On top of waking up to discover that Mika had eaten all of her dango (again), she also found that her skirt hadn't been properly dry cleaned, all of her socks were mix-matched, her straightener had magically disappeared, and Mika and Kichiro had failed to inform her that they had to leave early that morning, so she was forced to walk to school. If that wasn't bad enough, Ochiai-sensei had tonelessly explained to her that she was failing his class and needed a tutor, Tokudome berated her in the hallway in front of everyone for wearing a skirt "that was probably small enough to fit a five-year-old child," and now she was being forced to run the mile in Physical Education.

If there was a God, he truly had no mercy.

"You're over exaggerating," Natsu snorted as they rounded the corner and finished off their third lap.

"Do I currently look like someone you should be saying that to?" she hissed, a growl resonating in the back of her throat. The short-haired female winced at the sharp glare she received from her friend and muttered a quiet apology under her breath. "God, I hate this class," she breathed irritably as she huffed a lock of hair out of her face.

"It's not that bad," her friend offered, each word followed by a hard intake of breath. "We only have one more lap to go."

"I hate running," was her final comment.

Glancing over at the bleachers, she spotted the small group of students who had already finished their mile. Sure enough, Shuuhei was among them, and despite the thin layer of sweat glazed over his face, he didn't the least bit exhausted. Glancing down at her own legs, which felt as though they were about to give out and/or fall off, she was suddenly very jealous of his athletic physique. Sure, she was a ballerina, and sure, she had strong leg muscles, but this type of cardio work out wasn't her thing. On top of that, she was just like every other teenage girl: she hated sweating.

"So," Natsu began, in a tone that made Arisu instinctively arch an eyebrow, "I hear you and Hisagi-san have been hanging out a lot."

Choking back her groan at the mention of his name, she merely snorted. "Huh. Really?"

It had been a week since Hisagi Shuuhei's enrollment in Kaihin High School, which meant it had been a week since Tokudome had assigned her as his guide, which meant it had been a week since the Bakin twins had enlisted in her aid for their own ulterior purposes. Granted, that also meant that it had been a highly unsuccessful week in which nothing had been accomplished, but Arisu liked to think of herself as an optimist.

She just couldn't bring herself to actually converse with the teen. The Bakins' request (aka blackmail) had urged her on occasion to utter a greeting, and Shuuhei himself seemed nice enough, but he just made her uncomfortable. She hadn't even attempted to sit next to him ever since they shook hands his first day here. Though she had brushed it off as nothing more than nausea, her subconscious remained weary of him; it told her to stay away, that he wasn't safe. His appearance had said that enough, but his personality was kind and calm. Everything about him seemed paradoxical, so perhaps that was the root of her uneasiness.

"… Are you okay? You've been spacing out a lot." Arisu managed a sheepish grin when Natsu eyed her wearily. The brunette sighed and shook her head disappointedly. "I mean, I get if you don't wanna talk about it. I mean… he is kinda weird, but I wouldn't condemn you, you know. He's nice."

A look of genuine confusion struck her face. "Wait, what are we talking about?"

Now Natsu looked worried. "Hisagi-san. We're talking about Hisagi-san. Seriously, Arisu, are you feeling alright? Is your lack of dango effecting your brain?" The scowl she received reassured her that Arisu was fine, and she couldn't help but laugh, which in turn deepened the scowl. "I don't think I've ever seen you get attached to a boy so quickly before."

Arisu began to sputter so badly that both of them had to stop in the middle of the track, with Natsu patting her on the back. "What… W-what! WHAT!"

"Ah ha ha, nothing to see…" Natsu murmured awkwardly as other students ran passed them, watching them with amusement and curiosity.

"What are you talking about!" she wheezed when she finally caught her breath. She quickly played the last week through her mind, trying to catch even a glimpse of what Natsu was talking about. All she could even piece together was lunchtime, during which she and Shuuhei ate together, though it was typically in an awkward silence and lately others had been joining them. They had homeroom, Composition, and Phys. Ed. together as well, but… "What are you talking about!" she demanded again, unaware of her twitching eye.

"Um, well…" Natsu leaned backwards as Arisu more or less shoved her face towards her, creating an uncomfortable closeness between them. "Well, I was talking to Nageri the other day and…"

That was all that needed to be said. Slapping a hand to her forehead, the redhead groaned loudly as she slid it down her face miserably. "Those stupid…" The Bakin siblings were just screwing around with her now. To everyone else it might have just been innocent gossip, but this was Kaihin High School, and this was Bakin Shikatsu and Nageri. It was never as simple as gossip at this school, especially when those two were involved.

"Your face is turning red."

Once again, Arisu slapped a hand to her face, though she allowed it to linger there, as though hoping it would awaken her from a horrid nightmare.

"Daitokuji! Wazuka! Quit standin' around and get runnin'! Money isn't gonna buy you out of running this time!" Wincing at the demand of their less than merciful teacher, the two picked up their running once more, though at a slower speed than before. Natsu continued looking over at Arisu worriedly, though there was a hint of suspicion and curiosity in her glances. Arisu, on the other hand, kept her eyes straight in front of her, her lips set into a thin line.

When they finally reached the finish line, in which they happened to be dead last, Sasagawa-sensei was kind enough to give them a five minute water break before moving on to the next activity. Instantly dropping to the ground, which was strange in itself since she'd typically have screeched at anyone who suggested sitting on the dirt, Arisu fell back on her extended arms and attempted to catch her breath. She didn't even budge when a shadow fell over her, assuming that it was Natsu, who had previously gone off to fetch a water bottle. She extended one of her arms upwards, holding out a palm expectantly.

"Uh, need help getting up?"

The unexpectedly masculine voice caused her to both jump and squeak, a reaction that added to the redness in her cheeks (the main reason being the caster of the shadow). "Oh, um, my bad. I thought you were Natsu," she exclaimed lamely, dropping her hand to the ground. She quickly averted her eyes from Shuuhei's gaze, choosing instead to stare at a dying tree. "So you're a pretty quick runner, huh?" she managed lamely, forcing her eyes away from a falling leaf to look up at him.

Shuuhei bore a small grin, which, once again, managed to weird her out. "It's easier to do if you're not concentrating on the task at hand."

Despite his comment sounding like an advisory, she couldn't help but scoff. "I hate running," she repeated, running her fingers through her damp bangs. Cringing at the sweat, she swept them out of her eyes and leaned back on both palms. "'Far as I know, nothing cures loathing."

He opened his mouth to reply, but before anything came out, Natsu strolled up to them, two water bottles in hand. "Sorry that took so long. Momoe was blocking the vending machine with her horde of cronies…" Her words trailed off when she realized that her friend wasn't alone, and she found herself staring unabashedly at a now-uncomfortable-looking Shuuhei. "Oh, ah, sorry, Hisagi-san. I didn't mean to interrupt your conversation." She looked down at Arisu harshly, as though scolding her for not warning her, but she merely shrugged.

"Don't worry about it," he reassured, offering a smile. The brunette's reaction to his smile almost mirrored that of Arisu's, though she recovered quickly and beamed at him. "You're… Wazuka Natsu. You're in my homeroom and Composition class."

Natsu's cheeks lit up as she nodded enthusiastically; Arisu managed to hold back her desire to gag. "Y-yes! I'm Arisu's friend."

The subject in question noticed the male glance at her, and while most others might have regarded it as nothing, she knew better; he was probably thinking, "You have friends?" "Yes, I have friends!" she wanted to shout indignantly, though the claim would have been truth only in the loosest terms. Arisu had plenty people-who-didn't-want-to-get-in-her-way-so-they-sucked-up-to-her and she had numerous people-who-were-nice-because-they-had-ulterior-motives, but actual friends? She only bestowed that title upon one person, and that one person was probably the most humane individual in the school. Wazuka Natsu was definitely rich, and boy was she spoiled (being an only child with a doting father would do that to a person), but she was naive in a way that really differentiated her from the others. She was actually considerate of the feelings of others and she actually thought about what she was wanted to say before saying it.

In her mind, it only made sense to befriend the one person who was the least like her.

"Alright slackers, get up! Into the gym!" Sasagawa waved them in with his clipboard, holding the door open only for a moment before disappearing inside. Slowly, but gradually, the students filed in, with Shuuhei, Arisu, and Natsu at the end of the queue.

"She's nice," Shuuhei commented nonchalantly as the brunette ran ahead to throw away her Evian bottle.

Arisu glanced up at him, both eyebrows raised. "Heh, funny. She said the same thing about you."

"You almost make it sound as though that's a bad thing to say about someone." She caught his eyes, and he wore a small, unreadable smile.

The corners of her lips curled downwards in reply. "Well, when you've been going to this school as long as I have, you learn that that comment's pretty generic." Her words replayed in her mind, and a look of horror momentarily struck her face when she realized she had semi-insulted him (and Natsu, but she wasn't here at the moment so it didn't particularly matter). "Ah, I mean, that's how it typically it is. Not that you - or her - or… Ugh." She slapped a hand to her face for about the twentieth time that period.

Rather than looking insulted, Shuuhei merely chuckled, which succeeded in both shocking and embarrassing her. "W-what?" she demanded, trying suppress the burning in her face.

He shook his head, and again he smiled in a way that completely confused her. "The way you talk about this school makes it seem very two dimensional, but from what I've seen it's a lot more complex than that." The frown that seemed to be permanently etched into her face only deepened, expressing her befuddlement. "Don't think about it too much," he said, now in a teasing manner.

"Ehh… That's probably what it's like for a newcomer, but…" She folded her arms across her chest and glowered at the few who dared to even glimpse back at the two of them. Instantly they shifted their attention forward, their giggles and whispers poorly concealed. "To us, everyone's the same."

"'Us,' or you?" She shifted her gaze up to him just in time to catch a curious glint in his eyes. The corner of his lips were still quirked upwards, though she could hardly define it as a smile. A shiver coursed down her spine and she averted her eyes to the front, once again feeling uneasy.

"Uh, so, how were your classes this morning?" she asked, hoping to change the subject.

He shrugged. "Boring."

From what she heard from others (as she only had three classes with him), Hisagi Shuuhei was fairly intelligent. He knew what he was talking about, he executed fairly difficult problems with ease, and he was a rare breed in that he didn't flaunt his intelligence. While most of the kids in Kaihin were just spoiled brats who passed because their parents paid for their grades, a good number were legitimately smart, but they made it known. According to the gossip and rumors, Shuuhei was surprisingly modest.

"Though…" His brow furrowed for a moment as he trailed off, once again drawing in her curiosity and confusion.

"Though…?" she inquired, hoping to draw out more from him.

He shook his head. "Nevermind."

"Oh come ooon," she chided, sticking out her lower lip in a pout. "You can't just say that and then stop!"

Shuuhei laughed, both at her expression and her comment, and shook his head again. "No, it was just one of those… random thoughts. Forget it, it's not important." Silence draped over them for a moment as they walked through the hallway, towards the main gym. "This is probably the longest conversation we've had." She looked up at him, surprise evident on her face, and she caught the friendly smile on his face. She stuttered, unsure of how to respond at all; he, in turn, laughed again and ruffled her hair before walking ahead into the gym. "Don't think about it too much," he repeated before he disappeared into the crowd.

Absolutely dumbstruck, Arisu gaped at him, her feet stuck to the floor. She was in the same position moments later when Natsu walked up to her. "Hey, I was looking for you and… Are you alright? What happened to your hair?"

As if snapped out of a reverie, the redhead shook her head from side to side before adamantly fixing her hair, grumbling under her breath. She walked passed Natsu with heavy strides, glowering at everyone in her way. Natsu blinked in confusion before running to catch up with her seething friend, who hadn't ceased her muttering. "Did I… miss something?"

As much as she wanted to shout and scream at the top of her lungs, Arisu wasn't even sure if she could find an answer to that. All she knew now was that her peaceful reign in Kaihin High School was no longer as simple as it used to be.

"Good job, guys. All of you have improved, but remember to practice everyday if you want to improve your technique." Offering the class an uncharacteristically warm smile, Arisu walked off the floor and took a seat in one of the waiting chairs in order to remove her pointe shoes.

"Goodnight, Arisu-sensei!" one of the girls chirped as she took her father's hand.

"G'night, Mayumi-chan," she replied, still smiling, as she placed one shoe off to the side. She bade goodbye to the rest of the students and their parents as they filed out of the studio, until Yuzu took the empty seat beside her. "Is your ride here yet, Yuzu-chan?" she asked as she stood up to place her shoes in her hundred dollar Vera Bradley duffel bag.

The light-haired Kurosaki shook her head, her lower lip stuck out in a pout that almost made Arisu want to hug her. "Ichi-nii's supposed to pick me up today since Daddy's still at work, but…"

Arisu looked around at the empty studio and bit back a sigh. On Fridays, Amamiya had "things of great importance" to tend to, so Arisu got to look after the entire herself for the afternoon. She didn't particularly mind, but today was a special case, as she was both physically exhausted (thanks to one Sasagawa-sensei's idea of a "fun" hockey game) and mentally drained (thanks to her stupid tutoring sessions for chemistry). Still, she probably wouldn't have left poor Yuzu-chan alone with Amamiya (she wasn't that selfish) anyways, and maybe a long walk would clear her mind and realign her back. "If you want, I can walk you home, Yuzu-chan," she offered.

Yuzu looked up at her with open-mouthed awe. "Are you sure, Arisu-sensei? You probably have somewhere important to go."

"Nah, it's fine. It'll give me something to do before I have to do homework," she reassured with a grin, adjusting her bag's strap as she swung it over her shoulder. "Come on, you don't live too far away from here anyways. I can't just leave you here, and your good-for-nothing brother's probably out being a hooligan." Nodding enthusiastically (more at the prospect of going home and not waiting than at the comment directed towards her brother), Yuzu hopped off the seat, grabbed her own bag, and followed Arisu out of the studio. After locking the door, the two bounded down the street, towards the Kurosaki household, with Yuzu pointing out directions.

"Do you have a brother, Arisu-sensei?" Yuzu questioned, breaking the silence.

"Mhm. I have two, actually. Both of them are older than me," she answered with a nod. "The oldest is Seiichi, but… he's out of town a lot 'cause of his job. And then there's Kichiro, who's a mechanic… Oh, and I have a sister, too, but she's really not that important."

"What about your parents?"

"They live in Yokohama."

Yuzu's eyes widened in disbelief as her lips formed the shape of an "o." "Wow, they let you live all by yourself?"

Arisu laughed. "Our parents own a business in Yokohama, so they can't move to Karakura, and they really wanted us to go to Kaihin. Besides, Seiichi's twenty-eight, so it's like living under an adult anyways." She decided to leave out the fact that Seiichi was rarely at home and that Kichiro and Mika acted like five-year-olds.

"Ichi-nii told me your school's really expensive."

"Well… Yeah, I guess it is." In all honesty, she had no idea how much her parents were paying for her to go to Kaihin every year, but she figured it was't all that important so she didn't question it. The money wasn't that big of a deal anyways, was it? "Don't believe everything your onii-chan tells you, though - it's not full of a bunch of spoiled rich kids who are jerks to everyone," she enforced, almost jokingly considering the blatant lie, as she wagged her finger at Yuzu.

Yuzu's face lit up as she bobbed her head enthusiastically. "Of course not! Daddy always told me to never judge someone before getting to know them. Besides, you're not a jerk, Arisu-sensei."

Just imagining the look on Ichigo's face if he had heard that made Arisu want to burst out laughing. Before, she could say anything, Yuzu pointed to a modest-looking house and went running up to it, motioning for Arisu to join her. "Here it is! C'mon!"

As much as she didn't want to see Ichigo at this point in time, just running off would have resulted in at least a tid bit of guilt, so she slowly followed Yuzu until they were both standing on the porch, waiting for someone to answer the door. There was a sudden shout from within, thoroughly startling Arisu, but when she looked down she found that Yuzu looked as serene as ever. Several more shouts, including various expletives, followed until the door was finally thrust open by an irate Ichigo, whose expression only darkened upon seeing her. "What the hell are you doing here?" Was it just her imagination or did his breathing sound heavy?

"Only escorting your poor sister home," she responded evenly, arms folded across her chest. "Geez, Kurosaki-baka, I knew you were useless, but I didn't think you were heartless."

Ichigo glared at her, but gave his sister an apologetic look. "Shoot, I totally forgot you were at ballet. Sorry, Yuzu."

"It's okay! I got to talk with Arisu-sensei!" Yuzu beamed. "She doesn't seem vindictive or cruel at all!" She skipped in merrily as Arisu matched Ichigo's glare with one of her own, only one of her eyes was twitching dangerously. "Arisu-sensei, why don't you stay for dinner? It looks like Ichi-nii's having a party!"

"Oh, uh, no th-"

"It's not a party if the guests were never invited in the first place," he responded, his voice loud enough for whoever was in the living room to hear.

"Ichigooo~! Who's at the door?" a feminine voice rang.

"Is this a picture from when you were a child? … Amazing, you had the same stupid look on your face back then."

"Ooo, do you want help cooking, Yuzu-chan?"

"Ahh, Rangiku-san, maybe you shouldn't touch-"

CRASH.

Forgetting that Arisu was still standing at the door, the berryhead went racing back into the house, a look of pure fury on his face. "What the hell! What are you guys doing- Really? Really, the vase?" In one swift moment, a whole family (or what appeared to be a whole family) was ushered out of the door before Ichigo slammed it shut with an indignant, "Get outta here!"

Arisu, who had stumbled backwards due to the plethora of bodies being pushed towards her, blinked in confusion. "Hisagi-san?"

"Huh?" The dark-haired individual turned to face her, confusion written across his own face. "Daitokuji? What are you doing here?"

"I was… walking Yuzu-chan home. She dances at the ballet studio I teach at," she answered in an oddly even voice. Honestly, she was still trying to figure out what was going on, and her brain was refusing to work with her at this moment in time.

"Ah," was his simple reply. He looked just as flabbergasted as her.

"And your friends with Kurosaki?"

"Ahhh… Yes," he replied eventually.

She only nodded her head. "Okay… Uh, well, bye." She spun on her feet, more than ready to hit her bed after such a bizarre day, but a force suddenly grabbed her and spun her around. "Woah! What the-"

"Are you one of Shuuhei's friends?" Arisu blinked and reeled backwards at the woman who leaned in towards her, a large grin plastered to her face. The strawberry blonde left her with no time to respond, however, and continued with an onslaught of questions: "Have you been nice to him? Have others been nice to him? Do you eat with him at lunch? Is he social? Did you know he's really smart? He can be shy sometimes, but…"

"Ah, Rangiku-san…" Shuuhei lightly grabbed her arm and pulled her back, giving her look that hinted at Arisu's obvious confusion and discomfort. "This is my… cousin." He seemed to cringe at the term, but Arisu just disregarded it as her imagination. "She's the one I live with. Rangiku-san, this is Daitokuji Arisu." He glanced over his shoulder at the other three who had been kicked out of the house, all of whom were standing around awkwardly. "Err, the other girl is Orihime; she's the other one I live with. The one with glasses is Ishida and the other is Sado."

"Nice to… meet you. I guess." Judging by their uniforms, they all went to Karakura High. Which meant that she probably wanted nothing to do with them.

"Would you like to come to dinner with us?" Rangiku asked, still beaming.

"N-no, thanks," she stuttered, rather overwhelmed by her friendliness. "I have to get home. I have a curfew," she ended lamely.

"That's too bad." She pouted for a moment before grinning again. "Well, that offer's open anytime! I'd love to get to know friend of Shuuhei's!"

She and the male exchanged a quick look, one that obviously questioned their "friendship," before she slowly nodded. "Uh, yeah. Sure. See ya." Raising a hand out of politeness, Arisu spun around and slowly trotted away, a million questions still running through her head.

In the end, she could only conclude one thing: "What a weird guy."


Closing Song: "Ai Ta Kokoro" - UVERworld


Again, I can't even begin to thank all of you who have read, reviewed, alerted, etc. this story, especially during its huuuuuge hiatus. School is starting up soon, and it'll be my freshman year of college, but I promise I'll work as hard as I can to crank out the upcoming chapters!

Thank you all so much! :'D