Bad timing, much?

I leave nice and early for school for several reasons: the main one being that if I give myself a lot of time, there will be no reason to run. I love a chance to stretch my legs, an opportunity I don't often get, but it's not safe in a busy town so I can stop myself from racing all the way there by leaving early. I walk at quite a slow pace, which is rather frustrating, but I need to appear human.

The streets aren't that busy because it's an early hour. I start wondering about my new home again, questioning whether I can get used to it. For certain, nothing can beat the last place I lived in. The house was great, I even made a couple of friends named Keigo and Mizuiro... not that I'll ever see them again...

'Hey! Strawberry!'

I freeze, startled. The voice came for above me. I'm immediately on my guard, my muscles tense as my head shoots up. Just over my head, I can see a figure in a tree staring down at me with large violet eyes.

'How's it going?' Rukia Kuchiki asks, grinning at my confused expression. 'Gave you quite a scare, didn't I?'

I quickly regain my composure. 'Don't be ridiculous,' I say dismissively. 'You barely surprised me. And don't call me Strawberry!'

She laughs. 'That's your name, isn't it? 'Ichigo' means 'Strawberry'!'

She's got that right, the pale me snickers.

I ignore him. 'I thought you didn't like talking to me,' I say to Rukia.

She continues to smile. 'I had to make sure you weren't an asshole like all the other jerks at school, especially Grimmjow. You stood up to him. That means you're good, as far as I'm concerned.'

'Why would I be anything like that shithead?' I ask, scowling.

'Orange hair, blue hair... you both stand out.'

'… Fair point. Why are you up in that tree?'

'Why not?' Rukia asks. 'It gives me a clear advantage- I can scare the hell out of who walks by, if I want. Besides, I like climbing to high places. And nobody can look over my shoulder from up here and tell me how crap my drawings are.' She indicates the sketch pad on her lap. 'Anyway, it passes the time before school.'

I find a my mouth curling upwards at the sides slightly, realising that once again this girl has been able to make me smile. What a strange human.

.

We walk to school together, and she tells me about the school. General knowledge, nothing particularly important; who to avoid, which teachers are actually nice, and which subjects completely suck.

And of course, Grimmjow pops up in the conversation.

He and Rukia have known each other for a very long time. She was never a big fan of him, because she could suss out even as a small child that he was a bully. As they got older, he developed a huge crush on her, naturally, and Rukia actually gave him a chance. After the first date, she fully concluded that he was a slimball, and now she's one hundred percent not interested.

Imagine me having an ordinary human life, where I would have relationship issues. It's so weird to think about, but sometimes (okay, a lot of the time) I wish I was an ordinary human being, and not being hunted by an evil race of aliens. Sometimes, I wonder how the other Loric kids feel. Are they totally frustrated, too? Trapped, under pressure. I could blame Zangetsu for constantly reminding me of my duty, but he has sacrificed so much to protect me over the last few years, and I know that he actually had a life back on Lorien.

Oh dear. I'm getting carried away again. I'm supposed to be talking to Rukia, not reminiscing about Lorien. Perhaps I should think about my home planet when I've actually got round to defeating the Hollows alongside the other Loric kids.

'Are you actually any good at fighting?' Rukia asks suddenly, looking me up and down as if analysing me. 'You look like you are.'

'Yeah, I'm not bad.'

'Good, you're gonna need to be. If Grimmjow catches us talking, he'll kill you. Although usually I've got the violence covered.'

'What d'you mean...?' I ask slowly.

Rukia smirks. 'Let's just say I'm not the kind of girl that gets pushed around easily.

'That, I can believe. I heard that teacher yelling at you yesterday morning. So, you punched someone in the face?'

Rukia flashes me a grin. 'Nnoitora's always asking for it. Now he knows not to dis Chappy the Rabbit.'

'Chappy the... Rabbit?'

'You know, the cartoon. I grew up with it.'

'For someone as tough as you, it's kind of hard to picture you with a soft spot for a little white bunny. Please tell me you don't have Chappy merchandise.'

'So... so what if I do?!' she says, an angry blush appearing on her face. I snort with laughter. Which is a really bad idea. She stomps down on my foot, hard, and I yelp in pain.

HAHAHAHA! YOU WERE SO ASKING FOR THAT!

SHUT UP!

'Hey, what the hell was that for?!'

'What's wrong with Chappy the Rabbit?!'

'Well... isn't it supposed to just be for little kids?'

You're making it worse, dumbass.

I certainly don't need him to tell me that. The other stomp on my foot that I receive informs me that I have certainly crossed the line. Once she's finished attacking me, she continues walking, the blush still not leaving her face, pouting, making her petite features look kind of cute.

.

It happens in Maths, which I unfortunately share with Grimmjow. We've been given questions twenty to thirty of Algebra to complete within the next ten minutes, when I start to feel a little sick. Not just ordinary sick, but really hot sick, as if I'm getting a fever. Grimmjow's been flicking pencil sharpenings and cut-off pieces of his rubber at me for the last few minutes, and when I feel myself going hot, I initially assume it's out of anger or something. He doesn't even usually sit in the seat behind me, and when the teacher asked him to move he just smiled arrogantly and informed her he'd be on his best behaviour. So he's actually come here with the sole purpose to piss me off.

Well, it's working.

'C'mon, Kurosaki. Get mad or something, I'm bored as shit.'

I could kill you easily, Grimmjow, I hiss inside my head.

Do it then, the pale me yawns.

I clench my fists in frustration. I don't understand; I've dealt with this kind of crap before, so why am I getting so mad now?

I wrinkle my nose, as I smell something weird. Smoke? Is something on fire? I look around the class, wondering whether anyone else has noticed, but no one else looks confused (aside from the ones really struggling with the maths). This means the fire, if there is one, must be near me. I look down...

… and bite my lip to keep from screaming.

My palms are alight in a small, dancing flame. The horribly strange thing is, the pain should be intense. But all I feel is a fever-like burning spreading through my body. What the hell's going on?!

'Something wrong, Kurosaki?' whispers Grimmjow's sniding voice in my ear. 'You're shaking. Heh heh, did I scare ya?'

'Kurosaki-san, is something wrong?' the teacher asks, looking rather concerned.

'I- I have to use the restroom!' I splutter, clenching my fist, hoping like hell that it won't cause serious pain to my hand. My hands are still glowing, no matter how tight I close my fists. I jump to my feet, forgetting one of Zangetsu's number one rules: never leave without your bag. Never mind that- I'm already out the room and racing down the corridor.

Four?! What the hell do you think you're doing?! The pale me hisses, and for once he doesn't sound annoying. He almost seems concerned, as if he actually gives a damn.

What's going on?! I shriek, sounding a little hysterical.

It's... it's your first Legacy. The pale me sounds bewildered.

'No... no freaking way...' I whisper. I decide that the safest thing to do is to leave the school, no matter how much trouble I get into. I finally make it to the front entrance, racing past the receptionist, hoping like hell that I won't collapse before I get home.

Racing through the streets is so very, very hard. I start to get extremely dizzy, and I actually begin to rely on the pale me to give directions because I really can't see. The world is spinning at a disturbing angle and I really, really, really need help.

Finally, hope. I slam my hand against the front door three times, hyperventilating, feeling my head searing with burning hot pain. And my palms are still on fire. Come on, hurry up, Zangetsu... HURRY UP!

He opens the door, and, because I was leaning against it, I fall through and land on the carpet.

'Help,' I mutter feebly.