Notes from author: I am soo sorry this is so late and so short. There are no excuses, and I really do not deserve the 36 reviews I now have (Thanks to all who review, by the way. I really appreciate it). Again, I plead exams. Thanks again to densetsu no onigiri for help on the Japanese and generally not killing me. This chapter is quite raw, I haven't really proof-read, but I thought you guys would want it sooner rather than later, so here it is.

On Hinamori: Readers are reminded that this is NOT a HitsuHina fanfic. I won't rant, but I have to say that it is a really weird pairing. 1) I think their relationship is more sister/brother. 2) She's just too obsessed with Aizen-taichou, as shown in recent manga chapters. She's just deluded.

Now that's cleared up, on with the show….Oh, it will all start to make sense soon, I promise.

Chapter 4

Hitsugaya glumly followed Yamada-sensei into the classroom, as scores of eleven year olds streamed in from the other door. He felt exactly like he had done so many years ago (or, at least what felt like many years ago), when he had been constantly and rapidly moved up through the classes of shinigami. He was quickly working with those almost double his age and height, leaving all briefly made friends behind him. By the time he had risen through the ranks to become jyuubandai-taichou of the Gotei 13, the only person he actually knew even slightly was Hinamori. Hinamori. He mentally kicked himself. Here he was, going into unknown territory, and he was moping about Hinamori. He really was pathetic sometimes.

It was in these thoughts, then, that Hitsugaya entered a room so closely associated with the ghosts of his past and stood at the front, waiting for the ritual introduction and humiliation that he knew always came with being "The New Boy". By this time the rest of the class were all sitting in their places and watching him expectantly. Yamada-sensei swept across the classroom to a small desk in the corner and sat on the corner of it in a way that would have looked casual if it had been any other person doing it.

Her voice, while not loud, covered the background noise of eleven-year-olds with ease. "Right, this is Matsumoto Toushiro who will be joining us for this term. He has been home-schooled before now, but I am sure that none of you will tease him because his parents obviously thought he was too good to be educated with the rest of us mortals or because of his pretentious accent that has come from years of wealth and privilege."

That's it, Hitsugaya thought. I'm dead. Any hope that he might be mercifully left alone by the other members of his class was gone. Already, he could hear the telltale sound of muffled giggling surrounding him.

"Please sit in the corner and complete a written test so that I can have a good idea what stage you're at." She pointed at the farthest corner of the room, in which sat a solitary desk that faced the wall.

Hitsugaya took the test from her hands and strutted confidently to his desk. He figured he might as well go down with his colours flying.

Once the class had settled done somewhat, and Yamada-sensei was beginning to teach something- probably the alphabet, Hitsugaya thought uncharitably- Hitsugaya sensed it was safe to have a look around the room. The first things that struck him were the pictures that adorned every vertical surface in the room. Hitsugaya remembered Kuchiki Rukia's attempts at art that had become famous in Soul Society and that made even effeminate people like Kyouraku Shunsui and Ayasegawa Yumichika want to get sick in a bucket. Hitsugaya felt that even Rukia would have had something to say about these pictures.

Hitsugaya turned his attention to the students who had, for want of a better word, painted the pictures. They looked like a dim lot to him. He could see one table of children with a pot of glue being passed around and sniffed surreptitiously every time Yamada-sensei was facing the board. Hitsugaya imagined with disgust that these were probably the ones who would become the equivalent of the idiots in the Shinigami Academy who spent every minute trying to get hold of some sake. They had become his sworn enemies at school.

"Matsumoto-chan! I would prefer you to get on with the test!"

How does she do it, thought Hitsugaya. I was making sure I was being inconspicuous. He sighed and returned to his paper, the stares of the other students fixed on his desk.

Just as Hitsugaya was finishing the test, which hadn't actually been as hard as he'd expected, he felt the inside pocket of his blazer vibrating. Damn, he thought. A Hollow.

With a feeling of dread, he put up his hand. This wasn't going to be easy.

"Yes, Matsumoto-chan?"

"Um, Yamada-sensei, can I go to the toilet please?"

"Of course. Don't take too long."

"But…" Hitsugaya stopped as he realised she'd agreed. He'd expected to have to beg for her to let him go. This was definitely weird.

He left the classroom as quickly as he could before Yamada-sensei could change her mind. He ran to the toilets, left his gigai there with strict orders not to do anything stupid, and was out in the playground as a shinigami by the time the Hollow appeared. It was just over the fence, so he shyunpo-ed across the playground and jumped it. The Hollow was embarrassingly amateurish, and it was all over in the time it took for Hitsugaya to take another jump and slice its mask in two.

He landed easily on two feet, having hardly raised his pulse, as Matsumoto came walking towards him.

"Matsumoto," he chastised her. " You left your taichou on his own to defeat a Hollow because you were too lazy to break into a run. You were only in the next building at the High school! You're already in enough trouble for leaving me with that psycho teacher."

"I'm very sorry, Hitsugaya-taichou. Actually, we haven't got to the High school yet. Yumichika's making even more of a fuss about the school uniform than you did. We're probably going to start there at lunch.

"Anyway," she said with a smile on her face, "I'm sure the great Hitsugaya Toushiro, jyuubandai-taichou of the Gotei 13, would have no problem with any Hollows, especially not that tiny one".

Hitsugaya thought she was mocking him, but he couldn't prove it. "That Yumichika! I can't believe Yamamoto-taichou allowed that clown and his friend come with us. And I'm not arrogant to let your reasoning get you out of trouble. You know that an Arrancar could appear at any minute. Anyway, I think I'll join you guys at lunchtime. I don't like being kept in that primary school. Plus, I don't trust you not to mess it up, not as far as I could kick you".

"Which is very far, taichou," gushed Matsumoto, in an attempt to save her situation.

"Yeah, whatever," Hitsugaya murmured as he started to walk back, slowly. He didn't relish getting back to lessons.