A/N: Holy crap, is that---A CHAPTER?! Y'know BEFORE THREE MONTHS LATER?! HOLY CRAP, YO!!!

..... *ahem* Yeah, lookit that. 11 weeks later, I finally get it posted. --Toasty!fail plz-- I tried guys, but life and other stories kinda ate me alive and spat me back out. ;A; Forgive me, this fic still lives!!!

This chapter was beta'd by Desert(dot)Moon, kthx.

Chapter 3

"Alright. If you've got all your paperwork, please give it to me and I'll give you a locker combination."

It was the next day, and Aizen-sensei was fulfilling his promise to pass out lockers and locker combinations to those students who had gotten all of the correct paperwork filled out and signed. Most everyone had, so that made the process relatively easy.

Hitsugaya receive his combination and went out into the hallway to find his locker: 309. As he skimmed the locker numbers, he felt a pit of dread growing in stomach. It wasn't. . . he found the locker and hung his head.

It was.

The school had two-layered stacked layers, one on top of the other, and he had managed to receive one on the top. His head barely cleared the bottom of the indent for the lock.

Hitsugaya cursed inwardly. This was not good.

"Hitsugaya-san?" The short junior turned to see the gentle-eyed Isane Kotetsu standing behind him.

"Yes, what is it, Kotetsu-san?" Toshiro asked.

"Well," Isane said quietly, "you have locker 309, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I've got 310, the bottom locker. And well. . ." Isane gestured at their height difference —which was almost two feet— and smiled hesitantly. "Would you like to trade lockers?"

A smiled flooded Hitsugaya's features. "Yes please."

"We should ask Aizen-sensei if it's okay," Isane warned. "I'll go ask." She made her way down the hallway towards where Aizen was helping Hanataro with his locker door. She bent down and spoke to him softly. He opened the door, then stood, smiled, and said something Hitsugaya couldn't make out. Isane nodded and returned.

"He said it's fine," she told him.

"Awesome," Hitsugaya said with a grin. They exchanged combinations. "Thank you, Kotetsu-san."

The teenager smiled softly. "You're welcome."

Toshiro bent down and had the locker open in a matter of seconds.

"Shiro-chan!" whined Momo from the other side of his now-open locker door. "Can you open this?" Hitsugaya sighed and closed his locker.

"Yes, Momo." He scooted over to her locker and took the combination from his friend. Within seconds it was open.

"Thank you, 'Shiro-chan!" Hinamori squealed, rewarding him with a big hug. Hitsugaya blushed and muttered something incoherent, pushing the scrap of paper that held the locker combination into her hands.

"You're welcome. Now you open it." He shut the door and gave her a pointed look. Hinamori pouted, but looked down at the combination and worked at the lock. She opened it a few times and then they made their way back into the waited until everyone had come back, then closed the door and moved to the front of the room.

"Alright everyone," he called, clapping his hands together to get the class' attention. "I'll let you take the last ten minutes of class to put your books in your lockers, but as we've got a little under forty-five minutes of class left, let's start the school year off! Please reach under your desk and retrieve your textbooks and turn to page fourteen."

There was grumbling as many hands reached for their textbooks and turned to the correct page. The class started.

-/-

After lunch, Toshiro proceeded to the locker room to change. He found himself sitting in front of a mocha-skinned woman with dark purple hair, golden eyes, and an orange and black track suit.

"Hey, there, everyone!" she said, grinning like a cat. "Nice to be teaching you! Now, who here is on the soccer team?" Several people, including Hitsugaya, raised their hands, looking rather confused.

"Alright," Yoruichi nodded, taking in each one of their faces. "Kaien wants to see you all out on the soccer field. Get going." The team exchanged looks and hesitantly stood.

"What are you all waiting around for?" Yoruichi asked impatiently. "Go!"

The team nodded and made its way out to the soccer field with members of the team from Kenpachi Zaraki's class. They met Kaien, with two bags of soccer balls and a duffel bag, at mid-field; he had them sit in a semi-circle around him.

"Alright, everyone here?" Kaien barked as soon as they settled down. "Good. Now, I bet ya'll are wonderin' why I pulled ya outta class, right?" Several people nodded. "Well, that ain't your third period class anymore. All of your PE periods'll now be with me. I got permission from Yama-ji and the school board ta make this yer PE credits instead."

Whispers spread throughout the group of students. Could he really do that? Was he that serious about the game?

"Does this mean we don't have practice at six-thirty?!" Rikichi asked excitedly, thrusting his arm into the air.

"No," Kaien said firmly. "Ya'll still have practice in the mornin', along with the practice ya'll have in the afternoon. I don't wanna hear any complainin'. Now stand and pair up, and get to work practicin' passing!"

"Yessir!" Everyone immediately stood and got to work, pairing up and spreading out. Hitsugaya ended up working with Izuru, who was the last person to not be paired with anyone. They hadn't been practicing for more then ten minutes when they heard a cry of pain. They turned to see Hanataro on the ground, clutching his ankle.

"Hanataro!"

Everyone started towards the unfortunate teenager, but Kaien got there first.

"Hey," the black-haired man said, kneeling beside him. "I need ya to let go of yer ankle so I can look at it." Hanataro whimpered but complied. Kaien spent a minute or so looking at his student's ankle and turned.

"Toshiro, get my duffle, will ya?" Hitsugaya blinked once, then turned and sprinted to middle field to retrieve the bag. He set it next to Kaien upon his return to the huddle around his friend.

Kaien grinned and turned back to Hanataro. "Alright, then. Kid, you've gotta sprain, so we're gonna set your ankle in a splint 'till we can gettcha to the nurse, 'kay?"

Hanataro nodded once. Kaien immediately unzipped the duffel bag and pulled out supplies. A few minutes later, Kaien had wrapped an ace bandage tightly around a makeshift split on Hanataro's ankle, assisted by several team members. Once the bandage was secured, Kaien called Renji over.

"Take 'im to the nurses office, won't ya? Toshi, go with 'im to help." Both boys nodded, and after getting Hanataro on Renji's back to ride piggy-back style, they headed inside to the nurse's office.

The three entered the room to see the school nurse, the raven-haired and beautiful Unohana Retsu, sitting at her desk, reading, obviously taking advantage of the lull in activity. She looked up at their entry and frowned slightly as she saw Hanataro on Renji's back and his bandaged ankle.

"Soccer practice?" she asked, closing her book and sweeping around her desk to help sit Hanataro on a cot. The three boys nodded simultaneously.

"Shiba-sensei said it's a sprain," Toshiro informed her, careful to call Kaien by his title. If he didn't, Unohana would sure tell Ukitake, and then he'd be in trouble.

Unohana nodded as she carefully unwound the ace bandage that kept the makeshift splint in place. "Yamada-san, how did you injure your ankle?"

"I-I t-tripped," the raven-haired boy stuttered, blushing. "W-Well, I a-actually st-stepped in a hole and fell the w-wrong way."

Unohana nodded and bent over to inspect his ankle. After a few minutes, she leaned back with a sigh. "Yes, it looks to be a sprain. It's not anything serious, but you'll want to go to the hospital just to be sure.

She stood, brushing imaginary dust off her lab coat. "You'll do best to go home and rest now, Yamada-san. I'll phone your home. You still live with your uncle, correct?"

Hanataro nodded hesitantly. "Y-Yes, ma'am."

"Good, then I won't have to look up the number." The nurse turned to Renji and Hitsugaya, both who had been standing off to the side for the entire exchange. "You two may go back to class."

Both teenagers nodded. "Yes, Unohana-sensei."

Renji turned to Hanataro. "Good job, Hana! Now you won't haveta come to practice for a while!" The red-head let out a sharp bark of laughter.

The black-haired boy laughed hesitantly. "Y-Yeah. I didn't expect to get hurt so soon in the season. . ."

"Yer justa bit offa clutz," Renji told him. "Can't be helped. Just get better soon, y'know?"

Hanataro nodded. "Okay."

"Now, you two," Unohana ordered lightly, her quiet voice taking on an edge.

"Yes, ma'am!" Renji and Hitsugaya chirped instantly, heading for the door. "See you later, Hanataro!" The two bolted out of the health room and into the hallway.

"Goddamit, she's scary," Renji cursed as they speed-walked away from nurse's office. "I hate it when she does that!"

"Look on the bright side," Toshiro said sagely. "You're dad isn't dating her."

Renji grimaced. "That bites. I'm glad Rukia's never been that—" he stopped, eyes wide as he realized what he'd just said. He sobered up instantly.

"Renji?" Hitsugaya asked, looking concerned.

"It's nothing," the red head muttered, turning his crimson eyes away from his friend's sea-blue ones. "Let's get back to class." And he took off across the field back to practice.

Hitsugaya frowned; he would never get any information this way. He heaved a sigh, then ran after his friend. Practice waited.

A/N: ....Poor Hana.... and yay Unohana! 8D *GLEE PLZ*

The plot thickens... find out what happens next chapter!!! ...which will be up hopefully before 11 weeks from now;;;

Review if you still read? I still need my crack!

-Toasty