Okay, do not ask me why Mark is Grimmjow. I'm saving Renji for later, in case any of you were expecting him. Grimmjow was just the first person who popped into my head after Renji.

When luck isn't with you

'How far away is the school?' I ask Zangetsu the next morning, wondering if I'll be allowed to run the whole way. If nobody's around, the chances are I might get away with it.

'About a ten minute walk,' he answers. 'I can drive you if you want.'

I raise my eyebrows, giving him a sceptical look.

'.. but I'm guessing that's out of the question,' he mutters.

'Damn right. Ten minutes is no problem- I could make it there in two.'

'No you can't. Not when there are so many other people walking the streets at this hour. Now, tell me everything you have in your rucksack.'

I sigh. 'Emergency food and clothes to last me for two days, a knife disguised as a pen, cell phone. With credit,' I add hastily as I see him open his mouth to ask.

'You keep all that on you at all times,' he says firmly. 'And keep your head down.'

'How can I do that if I'm the new kid? It's like the one flaw in your 'brilliant' plan. Everybody either want to bully or make friends with the new kid. It's the way schools work.'

'Just don't show your superior strength or anything,' he says tiredly.

.

How am I supposed to blend in with my hair colour? Damn my freaking genes!

I get looks the moment I arrive. The guys all look at me like they want to hit me. The girls all analyse me and start giggling in their little groups. It's not like I'm threatened or anything, but it's so damn embarrassing.

Don't draw attention to yourself? Yeah, great job, Four.

Go away, I think.

I push past a group of younger girls who are all looking both amazed and fearful, because I would imagine the scowl on my face doesn't look very friendly at all. Argh, why do people always have to stand outside the front of school, ready to pounce on any newcomer and make them feel uncomfortable? Why can't they go to their stupid lessons or something? I must be so unlucky or something. Well, I am one of the few kids who can say that they've been chased from one planet to another by aliens intent of finding and killing me.

That certainly isn't what I'd call lucky.

There's a big sign above the main entrance with 'Reception' and an arrow sprawled across in red. Well, this shouldn't be too difficult, and by now I'm used to it. I walk through the main entrance, jumping over a leg being stuck out by some boy, ignoring him and his mates laughing and pointing at my hair. I consider turning around to give them the 'death glare' I've been practising, but doing that would mean getting enemies. And getting enemies meets receiving attention. And receiving attention means trouble. I simply cannot be affording trouble. I'll be getting plenty of that later on when my Legacies finally come and I find the other Loric kids.

I push open another door which leads me into a waiting room. There's somebody already speaking to the receptionist so I sit down on a chair and wait for my turn. There's an open door to another room right next to me and I can hear an angry male voice drifting through.

'… a bleeding nose, and there was quite a lot of blood too! Well? What do you have to say for yourself?'

'I'm sorry, sir,' comes a girl's voice, her voice sounding quite strong but hardly honest at all.

'And why did you hit him again?'

'I was just sick of him making fun of my Chappy the Rabbit drawings all the time.'

'You don't sound very sorry, Miss Kuchiki.'

'Well, to be honest, sir, I still maintain the belief that he deserved it,' she replies boldly.

I smile, liking this girl's nerve.

'Plus, he's always calling me a midget,' I hear her add. I snort with laughter.

'Next,' calls the receptionist as the kid in front of me disappears out the door. Still grinning, I get to my feet and make my way over to the window the receptionist is sitting behind.

'What can I do for you?'

'I'm just starting at this school today,' I reply, not really focusing on my conversation with the receptionist but instead trying to listen out in case anything else remotely funny is said in the room next door.

'Name?'

'What? Oh, Sa- Ichigo Kurosaki.' I manage to catch myself just in time from saying the name I had in my previous home.

The woman smiles at the name 'Ichigo', as everyone seems to do, and she begins to fumble around with the paperwork. 'Do you know your way around the school?'

'No, but I think I'll be okay.'

'I could get someone to show you around, Mr Kurosaki, you know- oh, Miss Kuchiki! Could you take this new student to his first class, please!'

I spin around, finally being offered with the chance to see the girl whose words made me laugh. I can see why they why people call her 'midget'- she really is quite petite, although I sincerely doubt she is fragile. She has raven black hair with one long strand falling between her large violet eyes, which seem to be fixed on my own hair for a few moments before she looks at the receptionist. She was evidently trying to get out the door as fast as she could.

'Fine.'

She walks over and snatches the timetable out of my hand, where the receptionist just placed it. She looks down at it for a second before saying, 'You have science first. Come on.'

With that, she strides over to the door and out of the room. I quickly thank the receptionist and follow her.

As it turns out, I've been given a school map, so really my guide isn't necessary, but the girl doesn't seem to have a problem with these arrangements. She doesn't actually say anything, just heads straight over to where the science block must be with me trying to keep up. Damn- she moves fast for a midget.

As the bell hasn't gone yet, the corridors are packed with students. I begin to wonder why, until I look out the nearest window and see a miserable grey sky with the rain pouring down quite fiercely. This isn't a huge surprise- it was threatening to rain last night too.

'What's your name?' I call out but the girl doesn't reply. She has stopped dead in her tracks, staring ahead at a group of boys. There are about five or six of them, all laughing and joking with each other, probably about my age or maybe a bit older. The one that really stands out is a boy with vibrant blue hair, which makes me wonder. In most schools, kids get suspension for having hair that colour. Sometimes, in the past, teachers have even come up to me and demanded to know why I've dyed my hair, before I explain to them that orange is my natural colour. How has this kid managed to get away with blue?

'Oh, hey Kuchiki!' the kid shouts, turning to face her.

'What?' the girl, Kuchiki, says roughly.

'Just saying hi,' the boy says with a sly grin, then his gaze flickers behind her towards me instead. A malicious look crosses his face, before he roars, 'Look, everyone! A carrot-top!'

I go red in anger. Son of a...

Do nothing. That's what Zangetsu said, remember? The pale me chides. I can almost see him smirking, as if challenging me to defy my Cêpan.

I'm not going to do anything, I reply, and I know the albino is disappointed.

'Come on,' Kuchiki says, ignoring the boy and his mates, deciding that they're not worth her time. Pretty good self-control, considering some of them are wolf-whistling at her. She carries on walking, passing by the boys, and I do the same. They all stand up straight as I pass and a couple puff out their chests as if trying to seem intimidating. They fail, because I know I could kill them if I wanted to.

A bell goes but most of the students don't show any signs of moving. I roll my eyes, knowing that they really don't care about how late they're going to be. Typical.

We finally stop outside a door, where a group of kids are lining up. To my surprise, the girl joins the line, and when I look at her confusedly she just mutters that she is in this class too. I had assumed she was younger than me because she is so petite.

'What's your name?' I ask again, and this time when she looks up at me, I get an answer:

Rukia Kuchiki.