A/N: Well… This chapter really doesn't reach the total words I've used before. Oh well. I just thought that this was a good place to end it. Umm… There's nothing really I can't think to talk about today, except… Review please!
Chapter 6: Of School and Reintroductions
"Kurosaki-kun! Rukia-chan!"
Ichigo and Rukia looked up and found the ever-exuberant face of Inoue Orihime staring down at them.
"Inoue," Ichigo greeted. "Happy as ever."
"Good morning, Orihime-chan," Rukia said. She glanced over at Ichigo, the message in her eyes clear. 'We'll continue our conversation later.'
He nodded, and glanced back at Orihime who was just grinning, which was, by no means, unusual. But…there was something…Wait, that was a new hairclip, wasn't it…. "Inoue, is that…"
"Yep!" Orihime nodded in excitement. "I woke up this morning, and it was just like an epiphany! Poof! I remembered everything! O-nii-chan gave me this clip this morning! He said I might need it soon!"
Rukia and Ichigo stared at each other. "Epiphany?" Rukia said quietly. "Did she just say "epiphany"?" She looked at the bubbly girl. "Why did you say "epiphany"?"
Orihime frowned. "O-nii-chan used that word this morning and I liked it! Why?"
"No reason…" Ichigo trailed off. "So you got your memory and powers back, huh?"
"She did."
Uryuu was standing behind his girlfriend. "Good morning," he said. He reached out to pull out his chair and something glinted in the sunlight. It was a cross.
"Ishida is that-"
"Yes, it is the Quincy cross," he answered tartly "My father gave it to me this morning as well."
"You remember too, then?" Rukia asked.
Ishida looked at her. "My father threatened me, and in the end, yes."
Ichigo laughed. "Threatened you?" he chuckled. "What'd he threaten? To shoot you?"
Uryuu glared at him, "Actually, yes."
"Oh." He paused. "Oh yeah! Speaking of gifts from a parent slash guardian figure…" Ichigo started. He reached into his bag, and pulled something out. It was a red and black glove. "Here," he tossed it at Rukia, "I figure it's better off with you."
"Isn't that the glove you used before, to make Ichigo a…" Orihime looked around, "a you-know-what?"
"They're not here, yet, Orihime-chan," Rukia said, sticking the glove in her pocket. "No need to be so-"
"Who's not here yet?" a voice asked from behind her.
Rukia jumped up in her seat, with an eek. "Don't do that!" she exclaimed, spinning around in her seat to glare at Renji, who now stood behind her.
He grinned. Next to the redhead was Tatsuki. She punched the boy in the arm. "Apologize," she growled.
"But…" he sighed. "Sorry…" he paused and feigned trying to remember her name. Anyone with half a brain could tell he was faking. "Rukia, wasn't it?"
Tatsuki gave a sigh, "At least he tries," she muttered under her breath.
Ichigo knew she didn't mean for anyone to hear, but he still did. He chuckled. "Uh, I don't think any of you ever introduced yourselves," he pointed out.
"We didn't?" Tatsuki asked in surprise. "Oh. Well, this idiot to my left is Abarai Renji. I'm Arisawa Tatsuki, his girlfriend… What?" she asked, when she noticed the shocked looks directed at her.
"You two…" Rukia trailed off.
"Are dating?" Ichigo finished.
Tatsuki and Renji gave them a strange look. "Uh… yeah why?"
"No reason!" they both answered, in sync, and a little to quickly.
Tatsuki frowned, but didn't comment on it. "Okaaay… Well, the baldy over there," she pointed him, "is Madarame Ikkaku. The dude with the afro and feathers in his eyebrows is Ayesagawa Yumichika."
"What an unbeautiful way to introduce me!" Yumichika called from across the room.
Tatsuki glared at him and he shut up. "Anyway…. The guy with the white hair is Hitsugaya Toshirou-"
Ichigo's mouth fell open. "Hitsu-hitsugaya?" he asked in surprise.
Tatsuki glared at him dangerously. "Yes…." she growled. "Will you stop interrupting me?"
Ichigo nodded, eyes still wide. "Uh, sure…" he muttered.
Tatsuki looked at him oddly. "Well, anyway, the girl next to him is Matsumoto Rangiku. And that really tall guy is Sado Yasutora."
Chad nodded to them.
Rukia looked up at him. "Chad!" she said with obviously false happiness, "Can I talk to you?" she asked.
Chad nodded again as Rukia stood up, and grabbed his arm, dragging him off to another part of the room.
Tatsuki looked at Renji. "Did I ever say 'Chad'?" she asked. "'Cuz I don't remember, ever saying 'Chad'. How could she know that that's what we call him?"
Renji shrugged. "No idea," he answered quietly. "Who ever knows when it has to do with them."
Tatsuki frowned. "You don't think they remember… Do you?" she whispered.
They paused. Then grinned. "Nahh…" they said in sync.
Ichigo watched Rukia and Chad, and ignored Tatsuki and Renji as they talked in low tones. Rukia had asked Chad a question, to which Chad had nodded in reply. Rukia seemed to relax visibly. She said something, and chuckled, and then she walked back over.
Ichigo gave her an odd look, when she returned. 'Later' she mouthed. He nodded and the teacher walked back in; it was a substitute.
She gave them all a worksheet to do. Ichigo had it completed in less than fifteen minutes.
Before he had the chance to put his stuff away, a note fell in his lap. 'What we were discussing earlier… It's dropped…right?'
Ichigo scribbled down a reply. 'Dropped. Absolutely. Never happened. We were dying. We can't be held responsible for what we were saying.'
'Right; never happened.'
Ichigo sighed, dropped his head into his hands and closed his eyes for a minute. For some reason the fact that 'It never happened' upset him. He ignored this feeling, reopened his eyes, and wrote down an inquiry. 'What was that thing you were talking about with Chad?'
'He knows. I saw him taking down a Hollow, and he caught sight of me watching him. I had to give him an explanation. Besides we can trust Chad.'
'I know. Did he have anything interesting to say?'
'Guess who he's a vice Captain under.'
'Chad's a Vice Captain!? And who?'
'O-nii-sama.'
Ichigo turned to her and gaped. "He's Byakuya's Vice-Captain?!" he hissed.
She glared at him, but nodded. "Yes. Now, shut up."
"No note passing in the back, please," the substitute told them.
Rukia flushed. "Sorry," she whispered.
The teacher just smiled as Ichigo stuffed the note into his pocket.
It was lunchtime when Hitsugaya's phone rang. He growled dangerously when he read who the caller was.
"What is it, Urahara?" he barked as he answered it.
"Awww… do you have to be so nasty, Hitsugaya-kun?"
Matsumoto came up behind him. "Say hello for me, taichou!"
"Hello, Rangiku-chan!"
Hitsugaya scowled. "Can you get to the point?"
"But Hitsugaya-kun… Don't you want to talk to me?'
"No," Hitsugaya said curtly and hung up.
Matsumoto looked at her Captain. "Taichou… why did you…?"
The phone rang again. Hitsugaya glared at it for a moment before answering. "What is the point of this conversation?" he demanded of the Twelfth Division Captain.
"I have to tell you something, Shirou-kun!"
The temperature in Urahara's vicinity dropped.
"Eh…Hitsugaya-kun!"
There was no change.
"Uh…Hitsugaya-taichou?"
It rose again. "I shall ask again. What. Do. You. Want?"
"You have to go to the Kurosaki household after school."
"Why?"
"Just come."
CLICK
Hitsugaya glared at the phone as if it was the offending man himself.
"So…" Matsumoto said cheerfully. "We're going to Ichigo's after school?"
Her only response was an angered growl.
END Chapter 6: Of School and Reintroductions.
