A/N: Written because I've got nothing better to do than distract myself from my biology homework. Procrastination for the win.

"Hah?" I croak, peering up at Maeru.

"Do I gotta say it again?" he groans, rubbing the back of his head. "For the third time, Saru-chibi, either ya gotta go back there or ya gotta join the shinigami academy. I can't just take ya with me!"

I frown. "I'd be really bad at it."

"How old are you?" he asks me, placing a giant paw on my head and turning my from side to side as if I'm a doll, incapable of doing so myself. "Eh, ye'r really puny so it's hard to tell… lemme guess… a hundred ten some?"

"But I'd be really bad!" I protest, swatting his hand away with a flick of my wrist. He releases me, then grins. My arms fold over my chest, and they only barely conceal the fact that I'm shivering beneath my kimono. "I mean, just because I have some reiatsu doesn't mean I'd be any good at it!"

"That's why it's an academy," Maeru chortled, smacking his enormous paw onto my tiny back. I jolt with the pressure—he didn't hurt me, but he did shock me. I know he's not trying to hurt me. If he were, I'd be dead. Dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead—and did I mention dead?

He smiles at me. "Y'go to learn."

"But I'll be really, really ba—"

"Baka, say that again and I'm gonna drag ya back to yer district and tie ya to a tree," he cuts me off, glaring down at me so fiercely that I have no doubt in my mind that he will. I'm shivering, pressed against the ground as he stands over me. I must truly look like a chibi at this point. "Look, I'm not tryin' to make ya into a taichou er anythin' stupid like that," he says, straightening out and rubbing the back of his head. He turns his back to me as he continues, "I'm not sayin' ye'r gonna be a prodigy, but ya won't have to starve again, and ya won't have t'be so damn scared of ev'ryone. Y'don't have to be great. Hell, I dun care if ye'r a genius or a moron. Masaru, if y'stay here, if y'stick with bein' a shinigami, ya won't have to go back ever again."

I look to the ground, eyes lowered and body loose, as though his words were a fire and I was ice. His speech had melted me. As I stare at my feet, now clothed in tabi and sandals, I begin to consider the offer. If I go, if I listen to Maeru-san, I'll never have to go back to that hell again, I'll never have to starve again. I had nothing when I was in the rukongai, so I have nothing to go back to if I fail. I've got nothing to lose by doing this, but everything to gain. Maeru might even by right. Maybe this will help. Maybe I could be something better if I become a shinigami. Maybe I'll be able to get ramen every day, and carry a sword, and beat up bad guys and save little kids like me! I smile. I don't notice that Maeru's turned around until I feel a hand on top of my head, and I look up to see that he's smiling at me.

"Maeru-san," I murmur, meekly, "where do I sign up?"

He looks at me for a moment, and bursts out into laughter. I can't help but follow, and the next thing I know we're rolling on the ground, laughing like a pair of idiots. We are idiots, though. He's an idiot for being so persistent, and I'm an idiot for giving in. But who knows, maybe this will turn out alright.

This form is going to drive me insane! Name of mother, name of father, I don't even know anymore! Should I just put "N/A?" Maybe I should put "unknown" instead. Or I could just write "absent," or something. I'm not sure anymore. I'll put absent. Yeah.

District. That's an easy one. Sixty-eight, northern rukongai: Kyuuso.

Height. They told me I was four foot seven. For weight, they told me I was barely sixty pounds.

Surname… I don't know. I can't think of anything. As I think about it, the closest thing I've ever had to family is Maeru-san. So I put his name down. Taketa. His name is placed under guardian, the relationship is put as "Onii-san."

The funny thing is that when I take the entrance test, the first thing they tell me to do is form a ball of reiatsu in my hand. I frown; what did he mean by that? So I hold out my hand, and I try to focus on it. I start writing the kanji in my mind, trying to see if that will help any—I doubt it will, but much to my surprise my reiatsu flares up, and right there in the palm of my hand is a fire of a crystal-blue aura that I swear will travel up my arm and sear my face—yet it doesn't. I jump back, shaking it off of my hand and yell, "Ayiee!"

The proctor blinks at me. He's as taken aback as I am, maybe even more so. He doesn't speak though, he writes something else down and then hands me more paperwork. Oh joy, more paperwork.

This looks more like an exam though. I take it in my hand and scan over it. I fill it out the best I can, guessing half the answers, then hand it to the proctor.

"Gee, gaki, took you long enough," he mutters, peering at the exam. "Got a place to stay?"

"Um, no," I answer, rubbing the back of my neck sheepishly.

"Any plans?"

"No."

"Money?"

"No."

"Do you have anything at all?"

"Not really," I say sheepishly, rubbing the back of my neck still.

He stares at me, incredulously. He opens his mouth to speak, then shuts it again. And opens it again. This time, he stutters out some words: "Y-you said you have a brother on your paperwork. Does he have any place to stay?"

I point to the gargantuan city behind him, walled in and nigh impenetrable. Sereitei.

He blinks at me. After another failed attempt at speech, he asks, "How old is your brother?"

I shrug.

"Is he really your brother?"

"I think so," I answer without hesitation, "Maeru-san's the closest I ever got to family."

I don't understand the point of these questions. As far as I'm concerned, I have a brother and a caring, loving one at that. He saved me, he treated me to ramen at every place along the way. It sure was shocking to him to see me eat so much, but I guess he got used to it by the end. Maybe he's not quite like the father I've been longing to find, but he was definitely a brother to me. I'll take it.

"Well, that's very, uh, nice… Masaru-kun," he finally murmurs, looking at paperwork. I can tell what he's thinking just by looking at him. This kid's a looney. He's probably right, too.

"So uh, why don't you and your um, brother go find a place to spend the night, and just come back here in the morning. We'll tell you whether you made it or not," he explains.

I nod, thank the man, and leave. When I exit the building, standing in the middle of the road before me is my surrogate brother, who smiles at me and I smile back. My smile, however, is melancholy. "I'm gonna fail."

He stands there, jaw dropped as he looks at me. "Y—how bad did it go?"

"Horrible."

He pats me on the shoulder and shakes his head. "Ah, come on, Saru-chibi, don't be like that. I'm sure y'did fine."

I laugh nervously, pushing his hand off of my shoulder. I look up to him, and I shake my head. "I screamed like a girl when they told me to make a ball of reiatsu."

"Never done that before?" he chortles, shrugging his shoulders.

I grin, lopsidedly, "No, and I thought it was gonna set me on fire."

"Hah!" he laughs. "At least ya didn't fail completely! Took me six tries to get into the academy and ten more to graduate."

"Really?" I ask, incredulous.

"Nah, only took me six years to graduate," he laughs. I just stare.

"Ko-ke-ko-ko-o!"

Stupid rooster. It won't stop crowing. Hell, it's not even my rooster. It's one of the residents. I—morning! Crack of dawn! I'm late!

"I'm late!" I exclaim, rolling off my futon and promptly smacking my face into the ground. Ow… ow… ow… "I-itai."

I struggle to my feet, then start running in place. I'm about to run out the door half-naked, but then I realize I need clothes. I reach into my bag, pull out my only kimono (tan with a tan lining. Grand, I know), and slip it on, tying the obi as tightly as possible. I slip on my tabi, then my sandals, I throw my scarf on and out I run. As soon as I'm out, I run right back in, only to find that Maeru's standing right in front of me already, glowering down at me. He has bags under his eyes, a sign of little sleep. So do I, actually.

"Baka, it's five in the mornin'. Y'don't gotta be there til six."

I slowly start to smile, and then the next thing I know I'm on the floor, laughing so hard that I can't catch my breath. Tears form in my eyes as I lay on the ground, choking on my laughter. Maeru doesn't seem nearly as amused.

"Baka," he grumbles, walking back into the inn's room and—I'm sure, going back to sleep. I stare into our room, very plain, just a pair of futons, a table, and a set of cushions under the table.

Maybe Maeru's just not a morning person.

I decide to head towards the academy anyways, but I take care to heat some water in a pot to wash my hair in. I lie with my neck pressed against the edge of the pot while my hair soaks. My fingers run through it, working out the knots and matted areas.

As I sit here, I wonder about what Maeru thinks of me. Does he really think I could make it as a shinigami? Or does he just want to throw me back into a different sort of fire? Maybe he genuinely cares for me and maybe taking me along with him was a genuine act of charity. Maybe that's all I am to him. A charity case. I frown. It seems just about right; he probably only took me with him because I was too pitiful to ignore. I was alone, freezing in that tiny shack. Maybe he took me because of a pang of sympathy, and maybe it was actually his job to pick up stray rats like me.

I frown as I take my head out of the water. My hair slicks back and sticks to my head and neck, still a perpetually tousled mess. I don't mind. I pick up the pot of water, bring it outside and dump it on the frozen ground, watching as it soon cools and freezes over.

With a sigh, I reenter the inn, walk to our room, and throw my bag over my shoulder. I don't have time to wait for my hair to dry, so I just hope it'll try on the way there.

"See ya," I mumble to Maeru. So I walk.

"Shishirio Minami," the proctor calls out. The first girl walks forward, and I stare at her with wide eyes. She's pretty. Her hair is like silk, flowing behind her back as she walks, her face is pale as the moon, her eyes are a striking violet. I think I'm in love. I can't help but stare as she steps forward and bows, accepting the certificate from the proctor before she enters the building.

"Takeda Isamu," he calls. This one walks forward, a silver-haired lad with worn and tired gray eyes. He wears a relaxed smile as he accepts the certificate from the proctor and steps forward. I hold no opinion of him.

"Mitani Hinata," he calls. A orange-haired girl steps up. She wears a long, red scarf, and her eyes are a light blue. Her hair's worn behind her in a long braid, two picks adorning her hair. She's at least ten years older than I am.

"Noribo Raiden," he calls. Another boy steps up, and he's a lanky adolescent, tousled black hair and brown eyes. He's at least six feet tall, but he's a wiry fellow who can't weigh much at all. He takes the certificate and enters the building.

"Mideki Sataro, Mideki Shigeo, Mideki Mayako," two more boys and a girl, all identical. One has neatly cropped hair, the other shares this, but the girl wears it cropped in a bob around her head. I'm beginning to despair. I don't pay attention to the next group of names he calls. "Kuroshi Sora, Shiroyama Kuroba, Ito Ishi, Izunuri Hata…"

I'm biting my lower lip, staring up at the man as more faces and more certificates pass me by. More names are called. They're calling us by our test scores, I know, and I'm horribly nervous. At least sixteen more names are called before I hear, "Taketa Masaru."

I stand there, frozen in place. He doesn't call another name, he just motions for me to step forward. I walk up to him, each step like climbing a mountain, and I slowly raise a hand to accept the certificate. I stare at it blankly for a moment. I don't know if I'm terrified or overjoyed.

I… I made it.

Irritated with my blubbering, the proctor extends an arm, grabs my shoulder, and shoves me roughly into the next building, where I stand like a moron in the doorway. Hours pass, or so it seems, before I'm brought back to reality by the orange haired girl—Hinata.

"Oi, baka," she snaps, "Are you gonna move or just stand there like a dumbass all day?" When I don't reply, she grabs my scarf and hauls me forward.

"Aie! Ah, ah, watch it, watch it, ow, let me go! ITAI!" I wail as she hauls me by the scarf, elbowing me in… the groin… when she gets irritated by it. I stop kicking.

"Oi, dropout, don't just sit there like a dumbass," she grumbles, pulling me. "Start movin' they're giving us a lecture."

I'm not sure what to think, but this can't turn out well.

A/N: So there you have it. Masaru's now getting dragged by one mean twelve-year-old girl. And he took the first nut-shot of the fic. Wow. :3

Japanese Vocabulary:

Taichou – Captain

Kyuuso – Cornered rat/mouse

Ko-ke-ko-ko-o – The sound roosters make in Japan

Itai – Basically, "OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!"

:D TEEHEE!