I blame Shiro. -Ichigo (probably)

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach

Chapter 10

"That . . . was a really good meal," Renji declared, spread out on the floor. The Shinigami had gotten off with a punch to the shoulder for not warning Kūkaku, which seemed pretty lucky.

Ichigo made a noise of assent from his position that mirrored Renji's. Shiro was leaning up against one wall; he hadn't eaten much, claiming that he didn't need as much food as his "weak counterpart". Rukia was quietly discussing matters with Kūkaku, and Ganju had already fallen asleep on the floor after making sure that everyone enjoyed the meal, since he'd cooked more than half of it.

"Hey, Renji," Ichigo muttered, shifting to look at the Shinigami.

"Yeah?"

"I don't really want to fight Kenpachi again. You win that bet."

"I didn't want to fight him either, and it wasn't really a bet in the first place. We need to come up with a better one."

"But what would a more interesting bet be?"

Both boys were silent, thinking.

"You could dye Renji's hair yellow," Shiro suggested with a snicker.

"No!" Renji protested, his face going red. "And that's not even a bet!"

"That would work," Ichigo mused, his eyes narrowing as he thought. "But we haven't even come up with the bet itself yet." He glanced at Renji. "Dying his hair is more of a punishment than actual challenge."

Suddenly, Ichigo became aware of Rukia and Renji exchanging a glance. The bad feeling Ichigo had gotten earlier suddenly resurfaced, and he began to think that whatever his two friends had been whispering about was going to come into the open soon enough. Even Kūkaku seemed to be in on it; she had a grin on her face that made Ichigo think he was about to get pummeled.

"Oh, I've got a bet," Renji laughed. "And I know I'm going to win."

"What's the point of making a bet if I don't even have a punishment afterwards?" Ichigo retorted, his bad feeling growing. Even Shiro was starting to look suspicious.

"I've got something!" Kūkaku declared, slamming a hand down on the table, actually managing to wake up Ganju. "If you lose the bet, Ichigo, you have to eat a full meal with Kenpachi Zaraki and Yachiru!"

Ichigo froze. Shiro, on the other hand, was smiling.

"That sounds like fun. We accept."

"We don't even know what the bet is!" Ichigo spluttered, his sleepiness getting wiped away. He didn't like the evil glint to Renji's eye. Ichigo wasn't stupid; he knew Renji was just itching to take advantage of the situation and make Ichigo look like an idiot.

"Too late," Rukia stated as both she and Kūkaku stood up. "The terms of the bet are . . ."

Renji, Rukia, and Kūkaku said them all in unison, cementing the idea in Ichigo's mind that this had been planned from the start.

"One: You, Ichigo Kurosaki, are going to attend the Shin'ō Academy!"

Ichigo's face lost all of its color, and Shiro smirked.

"Two: Shiro has to attend with you, and you will be rooming together with a third party!"

Shiro's smirk vanished.

"Three: You have to attend the Shinigami Academy for one full year with a schedule that we design!"

"A whole year?!" Ichigo managed, his mouth hanging open. "Are you insane?"

"It'll give us time to figure out your situation with Shiro," Renji stated, grinning, "and it wouldn't make sense for you to just drop out halfway through. You gotta finish what you start."

"I don't want to start it! I'm already really powerful," Ichigo said. The way he said it made it clear that he wasn't bragging; he was just stating face. "Why would I ever need to go to the Shinigami Academy in the first place?"

"Because it's a bet that you've already accepted," Rukia replied. "Also, it'll give you a place to stay, and you might actually learn something. Renji and I had to go through it, so surely you can too."

"Why do I have to do it?"

"You two aren't supposed to be separated anyway, or so I've heard," Kūkaku said, "so it makes sense that both of you should do it. Plus, it makes the bet more interesting."

Now Ichigo and Shiro were stuck. Originally, Shiro had accepted because he knew Ichigo would probably lose whatever the bet was, and Shiro really wanted to fight Kenpachi; but now, he had really gotten dragged into the bet, and his pride wouldn't let him lose intentionally.

"Don't worry," Renji snickered, "we know you won't make it through the whole year."

"We'll see about that," Ichigo growled, since the prospect of a new challenge was making his nervousness vanish. That, and Ichigo was all for proving Renji wrong.

"You're going to eat those words," Shiro echoed, his motivations much the same, though he was more pride than anything else.

"I'm not entirely sure what's going on," a sleepy Ganju put in, raising an eyebrow, "but from what I've heard you guys haven't said what happens if Ichigo and his hollow win."

For a moment, the whole room was silent.

"Do you think I'm wrong in betting that Kurosaki will lose?" Kūkaku asked icily. Ganju instantly backed off.

"N-no! That's not it at all!"

While Kūkaku glared at Ganju, Rukia cleared her throat.

"I have to say that I liked Ichigo's suggestion earlier. If he somehow manages to win the bet, Renji will dye his hair yellow for a whole month."

This time, it was Renji's term to choke.

"Rukia-!"

Ichigo and Shiro exchanged a look.

How hard can it be to go to school in the Soul Society?

There was a bit of a wait before the Shinigami Academy began entrance exams. Rukia and Renji had already gone and discussed the situation with most of the captains, and garnered support from the Shinigami Women's Association on the condition that Ichigo's picture be featured in the upcoming calendar. In the end, Yamamoto had agreed, on the condition that Ichigo's meal with Kenpachi be broadcast in a captain's meeting and recorded.

"I had no idea the old man could be so diabolical," Ichigo muttered, staring up at the imposing structure of the Shin'ō Academy.

The teachers had also been told about Ichigo's attendance, as well as Shiro's, in order to allow them to prepare properly. However, they had been warned not to give Ichigo special treatment. Considering that a fair number of the teachers had retired, quit, or become unable to teach within recent years due to all of the conflict in the Soul Society, most of Rukia's and Renji's teachers were no longer at the Shin'ō Academy.

And, much to Ichigo's relief, many of the new staff had never even heard the name Ichigo Kurosaki.

Getting no special treatment won't be a bad thing for me.

"He's out to get us for sure," Shiro agreed, standing next to Ichigo. Both were wearing nondescript clothing, and their hair covered their respective "hollow" eyes. Briefly, the Shinigami Women's Association had tried to convince Shiro to dye his hair some other color, which had ended in a brawl that nearly put Shiro and Ichigo back in prison.

"What do we even do during the entrance exams?" Ichigo wondered aloud as he and Shiro began walking through the entrance. Other people were also entering, looking about as varied as physically possible. Ichigo swore he saw someone with pink hair.

"Whoops!"

Ichigo felt someone fall into him, and he looked down to see a girl who looked about his age – though was probably more than five times as old as Ichigo – planted face-first in his stomach. She'd obviously tripped.

"Ow," the girl groaned, quickly recovering her balance. "You've got really . . . hard . . . abs . . ." Her voice trailed away as she looked up at Ichigo's face. Ichigo was half concerned that her eyes would pop out of her head, though he was more concerned with her hair; it was a bright blue, matching her eyes. Her face, on the other hand, was crimson.

"Thanks," Ichigo replied automatically. "You should be more careful where you're walking."

"Y-yeah! Sorry for running into you!"

Just like that, she was gone.

"You should've hit her," Shiro muttered. Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"We haven't even started yet. Knowing Renji, getting kicked out of this place probably counts as losing."

Shiro let out an annoyed breath but didn't say anything else. There was nothing anyone could do about his voice, so Ichigo had just agreed to not care, and if anyone asked it wasn't his problem.

Once inside the Academy, Ichigo and Shiro could see that the main hall was just a waiting area. Every few moments, a person's name was called out from one of four areas. That person was led through a door, where, presumably, they were tested.

Ichigo and Shiro sat in a corner, waiting their turn. They knew they were getting tested at the same time; there was no way they were going to be separated, especially not in so crowded a place with so few powerful Shinigami on site.

"It's too loud."

"You're telling me."

It was over an hour before a man called for Ichigo and Shiro to get tested.

"ICHIGO KUROSAKI AND SHIRO KUROSAKI, ROOM THREE!"

"That's us," Ichigo grunted, getting to his feet.

"Can't believe I have to pretend to be your brother," Shiro grumbled.

"Yeah. You're a lot closer than that." Ichigo had a strangely focused expression on his face; Shiro recognized it from before Ichigo went into fights. He was actually getting serious.

With a barely audible sigh, Shiro followed suit as the duo entered testing room three.

I know Renji and Rukia already picked out my schedule. Rukia said it wasn't ridiculous, but that makes this whole entrance exam thing kind of pointless. But whatever. I shouldn't go all-out anyway; if I have to stay here for a year I might as well try to blend in.

The room was large, and Ichigo saw a rack of practice blades against one wall. In front of him was a table with five Shinigami seated at it; Ichigo could only assume that they were teachers. He didn't pay much attention to appearances; if he ended up if any of their classes, then Ichigo would pay more attention.

"Kurosaki Ichigo and Kurosaki Shiro," the man on the far left intoned, "you have requested to join the Shin'ō Academy, but first you must demonstrate skills in five areas. First, you must demonstrate knowledge of the Soul Society."

There was an expectant pause and Ichigo and Shiro realized that they were supposed to answer. From the monotony to the man's tone, Ichigo could tell that this bit was rehearsed. No doubt the teachers had already done this test over fifty times.

"Oh," Ichigo said, scratching the back of his neck. "Well, the Soul Society is where spirits go in the afterlife, until they can be reincarnated back into the Human World. The Soul Society is separated into two parts; the Seireitei, where the Shinigami and the noble families live, and the Rukongai, where the rest live. The Rukongai is separated into four main sections, with eighty districts in each."

Shiro just nodded, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall near the door. He was obviously uncomfortable but doing his best to hide it.

The man on the far left made a huffing noise, like he hadn't expected Ichigo to know that much, and then indicated that the next man at the table should speak.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, you must demonstrate your knowledge of Hakuda."

The man snapped his fingers and a side door opened, allowing a uniformed student to hurry in. If Ichigo had to guess, he would say that he was a fifth-year student.

"Please spar," the man ordered. "The match is over when one party yields."

They don't seem to care that much about Shiro. I'm guessing that they've been informed that he's pretty much a mirror of me when it comes to knowledge and skill, though his fighting style is a lot different. Or maybe they just don't want him fighting.

Shrugging, Ichigo dropped into a fighting stance and faced off against his opponent. Years of street brawls and martial arts "lessons" from his father worked into Ichigo's favor, and he knocked the student down in a minute flat, though he did receive a particularly nasty hit to his abdomen before the boy yielded.

"Thank you," the man said. The student bowed and left just as quickly as he had come. Ichigo had to hide a smirk at the obvious surprise of the teachers, and he reminded himself that he wasn't supposed to be showing off, even though he wanted to just leave.

"Next," the third man at the table declared, "you will demonstrate your ability with Hohō. Please grab all of the blue flags in order of number."

Ichigo's eyes scanned the room, and he saw six flags stationed along the walls, two to each surface. The teacher was holding a stopwatch-like device, no doubt with the intention of timing Ichigo.

I can't show off. I won't show off.

Taking a deep breath at the nod from the teacher, Ichigo flash-stepped around the room, grabbing each flag numbered one through six as he went. After six seconds – one for each flag – Ichigo dropped the blue pieces of fabric on the table in front of the teacher and stepped back.

He wasn't even breathing hard.

The Hohō teacher, for his part, was staring at the boy with suspicion. Unlike the last fight, this Kurosaki Ichigo character was most definitely holding himself back. The teacher made a vow to see how fast the boy could really go before the end of the year.

"My turn? Okay." This time, the teacher was a woman, and Ichigo's eyes widened fractionally when he saw that she was the person with pink hair that, even in a tight braid down her back, went to her waist. "Kurosaki, please use Bakudō number one, Sai, on this dummy."

The woman pulled a humanoid dummy out from behind her that Ichigo swore hadn't been there before and placed it in front of the table. Another student, presumably a teacher's aid, quickly shifted the dummy so that it was to the side of the table. From the burn marks on the dummy's surface, Ichigo guessed that more than a few students had misfired.

The dummy had "arms" that flopped weakly at its sides. Faintly, Ichigo remembered that Rukia had used this Bakudō on him during their first encounter, and a small smile pulled at his lips.

It's lucky that my time in the Dangai also enhanced my talent with Kidō, though I still suck with most of the spells.

Taking a deep breath, Ichigo held out one arm, braced himself, and drew on his Reiryoku, channeling a small bit of it to his arm. Too much, Ichigo knew, and the spell would backfire. Too little, and it wouldn't work at all.

"Bakudō number one, Sai!"

Instantly, the arms on the dummy flew up and behind, locking in place behind the dummy's back. Since Ichigo had put slightly too much force into the spell, those listening could hear the metal joints of the dummy groaning with strain. Had it been a person, their arms might've been ripped off.

The Kidō instructor gaped, thinking, how can someone have this much Reiryoku? I felt it surge for just an instant and it felt like someone was pressing down on my shoulders! And even now it feels like he was holding back, suppressing his remaining energy! And even without the incantation, his spell had enough force to nearly break that dummy without exploding!

Shiro smirked as Ichigo turned back around, shaking out his hand. Somehow, Ichigo had managed to make his arm smoke slightly, which was a little bit concerning.

"You're lucky that you figured out how to suppress your spiritual pressure," Shiro muttered as Ichigo passed by him. "Otherwise those idiots would be on their hands and knees in front of you."

"It's not like I'm at full strength right now," Ichigo replied flatly. "I'm just stable. There's a difference."

"You've still got more Reiryoku than any two captains combined."

None of the teachers were listening in on the conversation, but even so Ichigo shot Shiro a warning look, telling him to keep it down.

"I guess I'm last," the final teacher said. Ichigo blinked, and the teacher was in front of him, staring down. The guy was definitely taller than Ichigo by at least a foot, despite the fact that Ichigo was already tall on his own. "Since we're in testing, name's don't really matter, but I'll most likely be one of your teachers."

Ichigo nodded mutely, not sure what to make of the man before him. He had a high spiritual pressure, but not as high as the Kidō instructor's.

"Kurosaki," the man continued, "pick a practice sword."

Oh, duh. I forgot about Zanjutsu.

Ichigo walked over to the rack of sparring blades he had noticed earlier. Eyes narrowed, he scanned the rack until he found a blade that matched Zangetsu while the blade was in Bankai state.

"This'll work," Ichigo muttered, even though the weapon was crude and its balance was off. Because it was a training sword, it would be more difficult to handle than Ichigo's actual Zanpakutō, which Ichigo technically should not have manifested yet if he was at the level of the average academy student.

It's going to be really weird; all of these people probably think I'm just another kid from the Rukongai who came here to be a Shinigami. I guess there's no real harm in letting them think that; I'll just say I'm really gifted or some crap like that. I'll figure out a way to make sure that Shiro keeps his mouth shut.

Ichigo turned around and saw that another student had come into the room, also bearing a practice sword. With a sigh, Ichigo stepped forward.

I can't give this one hundred percent . . . I should at least let this guy keep some of him pride.

"Begin," the teacher ordered, watching intently.

Ichigo parried the first attack made by the student, and stepped to the side of the second. The student quickly recovered his balance and slashed at Ichigo's left side, the one left exposed. Eyes narrowing, Ichigo dodged to the right and counterattacked, giving the Shinigami enough time to deflect the blow that had been headed for his heart.

He clearly broadcasts what he's going to do.

The Shinigami's hands tightened around the grip of the practice sword before he lunged, aiming to take Ichigo off-guard with the move. Suppressing a sigh, Ichigo hit the Shinigami's sword down in midair with his bare hand, throwing the student off-balance and causing him to crash to the floor. When he recovered, the student twisted on to his back, only to see Ichigo's practice sword leveled at his throat.

The entire time, Ichigo had maintained an uncaring expression on his face.

The Zanjutsu teacher grinned, already making plans on what to do with this new student. Sure, he'd been at the meeting where Captain Ukitake had informed the teachers about the situation with the incoming student, but he'd zoned out. Most of the other teachers had as well; it just didn't seem that interesting at the time. Now, however, the teacher was thinking about going back to Captain Ukitake and asking him a few questions. Unfortunately, the teacher remembered that Captain Ukitake had been very adamant about not giving away Ichigo's abilities, just warning the teachers about Shiro and certain other things.

As the nameless student left, Ichigo returned the practice sword to its place on the wall and moved to stand in front of the table. The teachers spent a few minutes talking amongst themselves – agreeing to meet and discuss this Kurosaki kid at a later date – and then turned back to Ichigo.

"You're to be housed in the boy's dorm, room six," the pink-haired woman announced. You have one week until classes start; you will get your schedule in three days."

The woman's gaze went to Shiro, who stiffened under the scrutiny.

"You are in the same room, and you are to attend all of Kurosaki Ichigo's classes with him. However, you are not permitted to take part in any active fighting in the classes."

"Chi. I should've figured that."

Shiro didn't sound particularly upset; he and Ichigo had both known from Rukia's information that Shiro wasn't going to be participating in the bet the same way as Ichigo. It had been one of Yamamoto's stipulations, and the Shin'ō Academy had readily agreed.

"Thank you," Ichigo said, somehow managing to sound completely disinterested. In fact, he had been steadily losing interest in the test since the beginning, and now he simply wanted to sleep, since Shiro had been keeping him up at night as of late. "Let's go, Shiro."

"You don't need to order me around."

The teachers watched the pair leave, absolutely mystified by the new student. Each of them was planning in their own right, determined to see the full potential of Kurosaki Ichigo.

Ichigo and Shiro took their time getting to the dorm, having found a good topic to argue about in the meantime.

"Well, I'm not the one who's doing all of your work!" Ichigo snapped. "You're the one who accepted the bet! Ergo, you do the work that comes with it!"

"That's not how it works, idiot! In fact, you should do my work for extra practice!"

"So you're admitting that you're stupid!"

"Smarter than you!"

"Say that to my face!"

"I just did!"

"Um . . . excuse me," a small voice said from behind the two. They were near the entrance of the boys' dorms, and Ichigo quickly turned, trying to get the annoyance out of his expression. Shiro continued scowling, crossing his arms and radiating intimidation.

"Yeah?" Ichigo asked, looking down. There was a girl there, and Ichigo frowned when he realized that she looked familiar. "Do I know you?"

Blood rushed to the girl's face. She only went up to Ichigo's chest, but Ichigo could see that she was muscular.

Probably grew up in the Rukongai.

"Y-yeah! We, uh, I ran into you earlier!"

"Ran . . . into?" Ichigo repeated, eyebrows drawing together. Abruptly, he remembered when he had been walking into the main hall of the Shin'ō Academy. A girl with bright blue hair and matching eyes had tripped and hit him. "Yeah, I remember you now. You tripped and hit me in the stomach."

That's definitely the same hair.

"Anyway," the girl stammered, "my name is Isuke Kira!" She stuck out her hand. "It's nice to meet you!"

"Kurosaki Ichigo," Ichigo replied, shaking her hand with mild confusion.

"I just wanted to apologize for earlier," Kira explained, her eyes darting between Ichigo and Shiro.

"His name's Shiro," Ichigo said in response to Kira's unspoken question. "We're brothers."

Kira's eyes lit up in understanding. "Oh, okay! I have a brother too! His name's Riku, and he's awesome!"

"Is he attending the Shin'ō Academy?" Ichigo asked distractedly, shooting daggers at Shiro, who looked like he was about to try and trip passing students. Kira nodded, her smile widening.

"Yeah! He's rooming in room six!"

Kira didn't miss the way both Ichigo and Shiro stiffened slightly.

"What're the odds . . .?" Shiro muttered. Kira's eyes widened at his voice, but seeing that Ichigo wasn't reacting, she decided not to comment.

"That's where Shiro and I are as well," Ichigo explained. "We were about to head over there."

"I can help you!" Kira volunteered. "I was planning on seeing my brother, anyway, before visiting hours are over and I have to head back to my dorm!"

Ichigo and Shiro exchanged a look and the former of the two shrugged.

"Okay."

As Kira led the two boys through the semi-crowded halls, she couldn't help the goose bumps that rose on her skin. Something about the white-skinned boy freaked her out; she couldn't explain it, but something was off about him. And Ichigo was a whole different story; Kira had always been sensitive to Reiatsu, and this guy was at least at seated level. Not only that, but he had this aura about him. While his expression was distant and uncaring, he exerted a kind of pressure that went beyond Reiatsu, and somehow he was even more intimidating than the other boy at his side.

Kira got the distinct feeling that she did not want to see this boy angry, and she mentally cursed herself for running into him earlier. If she hadn't been such a klutz . . .

But, now that she thought about it, Kira realized that Kurosaki Ichigo didn't seem upset with her. In fact, he had brushed off the whole incident – even forgetting about it! That realization gave Kira hope that she could be a friend to this guy, especially since her brother was supposed to be rooming with him. Though, judging from the way Kurosaki Ichigo and Kurosaki Shiro had been arguing earlier, Riku was going to have a tough time, even though (and Kira hated to admit this) he was even stronger than Kira was. After the exams, Kira's brother had excitedly announced that he'd most likely gotten all advanced classes. Kira got the feeling that she had as well, but only barely. She was going to have a tough year, without a doubt.

Not to mention that her younger sister, Mika, had also joined the Shin'ō Academy. While she probably wasn't in any advanced classes, she still had enough Reiatsu to qualify for the academy. Kira couldn't help but be concerned; Mika had always been a target, and she was very shy and unwilling to defend herself.

Glancing up at Kurosaki Ichigo, Kira came to the conclusion that this boy was the exact opposite. She never wanted to see his bad side if she could help it.

"Oh," Kira said, her surroundings pulling her out of her musings, "we're here. HEY, RIKU!" Kira pounded on the solid wooden door, one of many in the long hallway.

"Will you stop that?!"

A very irritated boy yanked open the door and had to duck as Kira's fist nearly hit him.

"And watch where you're knocking!"

Ichigo stared at the boy who bore an unmistakable resemblance to the girl he was glaring at. While his hair was black, his eyes were a slightly darker – yet still similar – shade of blue than his sister's. He was a little shorter than Ichigo, but just as muscular, and Ichigo couldn't help but be reminded of Ganju.

The boy – he could only be Riku – looked past his sister. Immediately, he directed the hostility he had been aiming at his sister over to Ichigo and Shiro.

"Who're you?" He asked hotly. Kira rolled her eyes, but Ichigo stepped in before the two could get mad at each other again.

"I'm Kurosaki Ichigo, and this is my brother, Shiro. We're rooming with you."

Riku's attitude abruptly shifted, becoming a lot more welcoming.

"Oh, okay! Come in, then!"

He opened the door wide and stepped back, allowing Ichigo, Shiro, and Kira to enter the room. Ichigo saw that Riku was already wearing an academy uniform.

"They're required as soon as possible so that teachers can keep an eye out for academy students doing things they shouldn't," Riku explained, seeing Ichigo's expression.

"I guess I'd better change, then," Ichigo sighed, opening the small closet on his side of the room. There were multiple pairs of Academy uniforms; they resembled normal Shihakushō, but the undershirt and hakama were blue.

Kira looked away for a few moments while Ichigo and Shiro changed their pants. When she looked back, her eyes bugged out of her face, since Ichigo wasn't wearing a shirt. Ichigo didn't seem to notice, instead giving Kira a confused look.

"Aren't girls not allowed in the boys' dorms?" Ichigo asked, raising an eyebrow at the girl in front of him while he put on his shirt. The room itself had a bed for Riku and a bunk bed for Shiro and Ichigo. Obviously, someone had planned out the organization.

"No, no, since the year hasn't started yet, we're allowed to tour the school," Kira stammered. "Including both of the dorms for a few hours each day, though teachers will come by every now and then to check on students. The rules are even looser when you have family in the dorms; I can visit my brother for an hour after class."

Kira stared at Ichigo, one hand at her mouth while she blushed furiously. Ichigo, one eyebrow raised, looked back at her.

"What's got you so concerned?" He asked mildly while he finished changing his shirt. In the background, both Shiro and Riku snickered.

"T - the bruise on your stomach," Kira stuttered, tripping over her own words. "Is that from when I fell into you before the entrance exams?"

Ichigo glanced down at his stomach and prodded the area where the bruise was. He barely even registered the pain; having been dealt so many normally fatal blows the pain from a mere bruise meant absolutely nothing to Ichigo.

"No, it's not from you," Ichigo said, not feeling the need to elaborate, though all he had to say was that it was from his spar during the testing.

"Okay," Kira replied awkwardly, not really sure to what to make of the boy in front of her. He's a lot different than Riku, she thought.

"So, Ichigo," Riku said conversationally, why are you at the academy?"

Ichigo and Shiro exchanged a look – Kira noted that they seemed to do that a lot – and then Ichigo shrugged.

"My family's in a bit of a tough situation, so they sent me here. They're hoping that because I have abnormally strong spirit energy, I can go on missions and send money back."

It was the explanation that Rukia and Renji had told Ichigo to use. It was also partly true; Ichigo felt like repaying the Shiba family for helping him when he came to the Soul Society, so he figured that money from missions would be a good way to do so. However, Kūkaku had insisted on giving Ichigo money so "you won't be flat broke during the school year", so the boy was planning on spending as little of that as possible until he could repay Kūkaku and use his own money.

Ichigo had never been much for freeloading, unlike Renji.

"Wow, that's pretty cool," Riku said, leaning forward. "So you're doing it for your family?"

"Yeah," Ichigo affirmed. Then he shot a sideways look at Shiro. "Plus, my family wanted me to keep an eye on Shiro so that he doesn't do anything stupid."

Was it just Kira's imagination, or was there an underlying threat to Kurosaki Ichigo's words?

"We're here because our parents were having a touch time as well," Riku said, scratching the back of his neck. "Mika tagged along because she's always been fascinated by Shinigami, and I don't even know why Kira – ow!" Kira threw a pillow at her older brother, sending him flying back.

"Nice throw," Ichigo commented. "Also, for the record, you guys don't need to be formal with me. Calling me 'Ichigo' works just fine. I've never been good with formalities."

There was something about that name that tickled Kira's memory, but she couldn't quite place it. She dismissed it from her mind, guessing that she'd heard someone yelling it at some point on the streets. Most likely, it was pure coincidence.

"Same goes for me," Riku replied with a grin.

"And me!" Kira added.

Shiro said nothing, seemingly content with ignoring everyone and everything. Ichigo was actually somewhat thankful for that; he didn't want to get into yet another fight with his inner hollow unless it was in an area where no one else would get hurt.

Either way, Ichigo got the feeling that Riku and Kira were going to be two of his strongest allies at the Shin'ō Academy. He remembered that they had a sister, but since Ichigo hadn't met her yet, he didn't really think about her.

Vaguely, he was aware of Riku and Kira arguing about something – it sounded like Riku was insisting that he could beat Kira in an arm-wrestling contest – but Ichigo was too tired to care. Eyes closing, he fell back in bed and was asleep within minutes.

A few quick and important notes:

Kira is going to be a major character, as well as her brother and sister (you'll meet her later). HOWEVER there is never going to be any romance with any of them because 1) it's a pain to write 2) I suck at it and 3) I hate OP OCs. Yes, Kira is not in canon, but I like writing her, and there will be a reason why she doesn't show up later in Ichigo's life (though considering how much I've already screwed with the plot I don't see why that matters but voices have been bugging me and telling me that I should keep all my exits covered). Yes, Kira and her brother are strong, but they are not above fourth seat. Mika is even weaker. So if you have a problem with me having semi-realistic side characters at the Academy when there were no other options available, I (sarcastically) apologize.

Shiro will, at one point, be getting his own chapter, because I like writing him. That won't be coming for a while yet, however, and a lot of things are going to happen beforehand.

Thank you to the two people who took the time to review!

-RoR

Coming up: Reaction chapter, and betting has never been anyone's strong suit

Please review.

10-18-14: I've put a poll in my profile and it would be awesome if you guys could vote for it. It's whether you think Ichigo or Shiro is going to win this bet.