"There sure is a noticeable gap between the rich and the poor" Rukia commented as the view from the schoolbus rapidly evolved from of slums and alleyways to mc-mansions and pristine fountains.
"That's cuz Master Byakuya wules over evewything in Hueco Mundo" Explained Nel as she giddily bounced up and down in her seat.
"All the two-stars and the one stars live in the fancy pwaces because dey have stronger connections wit him and are more impowtant to the stwuctuwe of Las Noches Academy"
"Compawed with dem, Nel is just a lil' bug. That's why Nel is a no star who lives da under-devewoped awea of town"
"Your home location depends on how important you are to the school?" Said Rukia, in awe.
"Good grief, this is even more of an empire than I thought"
As the bus entered Las Noches Academy, and the two girls got off, Nel turned to Rukia abruptly.
"Oh, I almost forgot, Wukia! I was wond-win' if you had a place to say. Cuz' if you don't Nel would-"
"BAM!" A bright green object flew across the schoolyard and whacked Nel in the face dead center. The impact was so hard that she was heaved onto her back.
"NEL!" Cried Rukia in alarm as she offered her a hand. There was a massive bruise on her face and it was nothing short of a miracle that her nose wasn't broken.
"What Nel was going to say-" Continued the little girl, weakly.
"Was we want you to stay-"
"BAM!" Another object struck her in the face again, and had she not been holding onto Rukia, she most certainly would have been on her backside again.
"What the heck?" Wondered Rukia as she examined the assailant of an object, at her feet. It was small and spherical. She realized that it was a tennis ball.
But Nel wouldn't let two hits in the face deter her conversation. Bravely, she soldiered on
"stay...wit...us" She moaned as she began to massage her face.
Rukia whirled around, and concluded the identity of the thrower of the tennis ball. It was obvious that the culprit was the black-haired girl in the pigtails with a tennis racket. She might have been pretty had one of her eyes not been covered with a rather unnerving eyepiece and her expression not been one of utter contempt and spite.
"You threw that didn't you!" Shouted Rukia, angrily.
"Nice to meet you too, New Girl?" Sneered the one-eyed racket wielder.
"I'm Loly Aivirrne, thanks for asking."
"I don't remember asking you for your name" Growled Rukia.
"Of course you wouldn't!" Scoffed Loly.
"Why would the high-and-mighty new transfer student who made such a name for herself yesterday, be interested with us lowly common folk?"
Rukia shot her a quizzical look.
"What are you talking about?" Had she met this girl before? With the bitter way she was talking to her, one would think she owed her money in a past life.
"This may be a little hard for your self-centered little mind to comprehend. But I didn't come here to meet you and ask for your autograph" Spat Loly.
"I'm here because tennis club member, Nel Tu failed to report for practice, yesterday after school. And as the club's captain, it is my duty to administer her punishment"
"You're in the tennis club?" Rukia asked Nel.
"That's wight. But since Nel was taken pwisoner yesterday, Nel missed pwactice. Sowwy" She turned her eyes to Loly with a pleading look in them. Unfortunately her silent plea for mercy was met with a sadistic grin.
"Well, you shouldn't have done it without permission"
Rukia couldn't believe the malice of this girl. Unsheathing Sode no Shirayuki, she protectively stepped in front of her.
"Are you really that delusional, you one-eyed freak?" She shouted.
The grin on Loly's face slipped into a wrathful snarl.
"Are you suggesting that you wanna take her place, new girl?" She spat.
"Nel, why don't you get to class?" Rukia yelled over her shoulder.
"If you stick around for this, you are going to be late"
Her eyes shifted from the empty space where Nel was originally to her current location-halfway up the school stairs. When she reached the top, she turned and waved before disappearing through the entrance door. Rukia rolled her eyes before turning her attention to Loly again.
"So you do wanna take her place. Well, who am I to deny the great 'new girl'?"
"Since she gave me a roof over my head and a decent meal, it's the least I can do" Rukia shrugged.
Loly's face contorted into an expression of vehement loathing. Rukia could see a distinct thread of spittle coming out of her mouth. But when she finally spoke after a long-thirty seconds, her voice was so quiet that Rukia had to strain her ears to hear it. But every word was quivering with rage and that couldn't have been more evident if she been speaking through a bullhorn.
"You think you're all that and a back of chips because you beat that loser, Ggio Vega?"
"Well, he was a two-star, wasn't he? Just like you, I presume? I doubt there's going to be that big a world of difference between your power levels"
Loly was so tense with anger that a reticulated pattern of veins was clearly visible from under her skin.
"You are so going down: New Girl" She hissed.
"Bring it on, you cyclops! I'm going to shred that uniform off your back like it's made of paper!" Rukia enthusiastically brandished Sode No Shirayuki, the lust for battle pumping in her ears.
"Come on, Grimmjow!"
She closed her eyes, anticipating the same sensations that she had felt last night when Grimmjow had transformed. The braced herself for the blinding light and the impending transformation. Seconds mounted. After the seventh one, Rukia realized that she looked pretty stupid.
"Grimmjow!" She hissed.
"I could really use a transformation right about now!"
"So aren't you going to change into that clown's outfit?" Sneered Loly.
"Or are have you realized that the rest of the world thinks that you look like a freak and a whore in it?"
"I'll transform in a minute!" Protested Rukia, as the grim realization that she had no idea how to activate the transformation dawned on her.
"Well, too bad! I don't care about how long it takes for her holiness to shed her dignity!" Cried Loly.
"I'm starting whether your high and mighty ass is ready or not!"
As she held her tennis racket out in front of her like a frying pan, a violet light enveloped her.
"Two-star uniform resurreccion! Poison, ESCOLOPENDRA!"
Rukia watched numbly as the nonexistant sleeves of Loly's dress extended to her arms and encased them in white cocoons of cloth. That numb despair had awe combined with it when these cocoons extended several feet and turned into a pair of massive tentacles, and Loly's eyepatch transformed into a strange, protective covering, framing her face.
"Behold, the power of my two-star Resurreccion Uniform!" Gloated Loly.
"It's about to kick your oversized behind and take you down a peg or two!"
And before Rukia could react, one of them grabbed her leg and began smashing her body against every solid building in the vicinity. The last conscious thought of Rukia before she blacked out was "Damn you Grimmjow"