Wow, new chapter. That was faster than I thought it'd be. This chapter's not as long, but hey, they can't all be 7,000+ words. I'm not that good of a writer.

Thanks a million to everyone who reviewed! You guys are the reason I'm continuing with this. Remember, review motivate me, so don't hesitate to click that little button at the end of the chapter.

Not Normal

Chapter 4

Ichigo

"The hell are you here for, midget?" Those were my first words when I saw him at the door. Yeah, it wasn't the nicest thing I'd ever said, but after he'd left the other day I'd gotten the lecture of my life from Ukitake. The mental pain had made the bullet wounds seem minor in comparison. I was still feeling the headache. And it was all because of the human boy now standing at the door to the White Lily. So I wasn't exactly inclined to be nice.

A vein pulsed on the kid's head, and his eyes were narrowed in annoyance. "I've made my decision," he proclaimed curtly.

That's what I thought it'd be. Why else would he be here? Ukitake had told me about his offer after the lecture. I wasn't exactly thrilled that the current bane of my existence might be my new partner.

"You sure?" I asked. "You've still got two more days."

"Yeah, I'm sure," That was it. No explanation, just that.

"Fine," I sighed. "I'll get out the mind wipe equipment."

His hand shot out to grab my sleeve as I turned to leave. I turned, and was met with teal eyes, hardened by determination. "You didn't let me finish."

"You're not serious, are you?" No reply. I was silent for a minute, then asked in bewilderment, "What made you decide to join?" I was honestly curious, but covered it up with my next comment. "It couldn't possibly have been Ukitake's sparkling personality."

"You have a problem with my personality?" asked a stern voice from behind me. I jumped.

The brat stifled a laugh, then greeted the man. He nodded in response. He was dressed in the employee's uniform for the restaurant. That's right, we worked here in our free time. Organizations like ours don't pay for themselves, so we needed all the extra money we could get. At least the uniform wasn't that bad. Black polo or button-up shirt, slacks, and dress shoes, along with a name tag. The only difference between our outfits was that my shirt had short sleeves, and his had long. That and the fact that he had a pin saying "Manager" under his name tag, but whatever. I was glad he was running things and not me. I'd probably run us into the ground in less than an hour.

"Aren't you going to invite our guest in?" Ukitake asked me.

"Nope, don't think I will," I put in just for spite, even against my better judgement. I got a slap in the head for my troubles. I was expecting it, but it still hurt.

Hitsugaya just sighed and walked past me. "Yes, I will come in," he said.

"Bring him downstairs," Ukitake instructed. "I'll be down in a minute."

I gave a noncommittal grunt. He gave me 'the look.'

"Sir, yes, sir," I said with a salute, then waved for the boy to follow me. The man rolled his eyes, then went off to take a customer's order.

We headed straight for Ukitake's office. Hitsugaya immediately noticed the absence of a certain poorly-worded paper sign. I told him that after much thought and careful consideration, he'd taken it off. (He listened to me complaining for all of five seconds, then ripped it off, saying it wasn't worth the argument and the headache that was bound to follow.) Needless to say, he didn't believe me. I didn't blame him. It sounded stupid even in my head, and it's stupidity quickly increased when I voiced it out loud.

"You probably just complained about it until he took it off," he guessed. Am I really so predictable that the boy I've known for less than a day can already guess my actions? Really?

Noticing the look on my face, he smirked, then brushed past me into the office. I followed behind, grumbling the entire time. We sat in silence for a minute or so until Ukitake came in. He took his seat behind his desk.

"So what made your decision?" he asked once he was comfortable. Hitsugaya fidgeted in his seat.

"I made a promise," he said finally. "A promise I can't afford to forget."

I looked at him, surprised.

"You won't forget everything about the past few days," Ukitake replied, looking a bit surprised himself.

"Maybe not, but I'd forget this," he answered quietly as he stared down at his hands, in a tone that dissuaded questions. "It's complicated. I'd rather not explain right now."

For a moment, we both stared, trying to figure out what had happened. My boss recovered first.

"That's fine, I suppose," he said. The boy looked up at him in relief. "Now, allow me to explain how this is going to work," Ukitake began. "Three months from now, on Saturday, December 15, an examination will be held. People from all over the country will come to it, some like you, some who've been training for their entire lives. It's our job to prepare you for that."

"I'm not the only one who wants the job?" he asked in shock.

"Unfortunately, no," Ukitake said with a hint of regret. I knew why. It was his job to judge the exams, and they were held every other year. This would be his third time judging, and he'd hated it the other times. I also knew why that was.

I had a bad habit of losing my partners quickly. And I mean really quickly. I think the longest I'd ever held one partner was two months, and that was Ukitake before he got promoted. I was sixteen now, and I'd been doing this since I was ten. Ukitake was my first partner. He'd thought of me as a brat, but he'd put up with me, and probably would have continued to do so had he not been promoted. Most of the others after that had quit after two weeks at most. The shortest partnership I'd ever had was ten minutes. That one really didn't go well. Let's just say it had something to do with a rogue vampire, a sack of flour, and a rubber chicken. Don't ask.

The white haired man had quickly gotten tired of finding new partners for me every other week, and by the time I was thirteen, he'd just started letting me do whatever I wanted. Sure, I got stuck with a new guy every once and a while, but by now, I was purposely getting rid of them quickly. Most of them just slowed me down anyways, and the few that didn't were just plain annoying. I was too used to being by myself by now to help break in a new recruit. The other two times the exams had been held, he'd really tried to find me a partner. Those two were both gone in under a day. I didn't get it. He was just setting himself up for another disappointment. I didn't see how he thought this boy would be any different than the others, and that was providing that he'd pass in the first place, which I kind of doubted. I studied him, trying to see what Ukitake thought he saw in him. He looked normal, except for that ridiculous head of hair. Did he bleach it, or was it actually possible that it was naturally like that?

I turned my attention back to the conversation just in time to hear him say he was sticking to his decision. Ukitake began explaining the actual test.

"There's a written part, physical abilities test, and a practical exam," he explained. "The written part shouldn't be too bad if you study hard. As for the other two..." he lapsed into silence. I could almost see the gears turning in his head, trying to figure out what to do with the kid.

"I know some martial arts, and I play soccer," he supplied.

"Swords," Ukitake blurted out.

"What?" Hitsugaya and I asked in perfect unison.

"You'll learn to use a sword," he repeated.

"I've never even touched a sword before in my entire life! That's a horrible choice!" he argued.

"There's no way this idiot can learn something as complicated as practical sword fighting in three months!" I chimed in.

"Shut up, both of you!" Ukitake silenced us. Hitsugaya shot me a glare about my last remark, but I ignored it. "This is my decision! You either learn how to use a sword or I'll erase your memory here and now!"

"That's blackmail!" he cried indignantly.

"I don't care," he responded, sounding a lot like a spoiled child. "I'm the boss here, so what I say goes."

"Way to not let the power go to your head," I muttered.

"I heard that, Ichigo."

"Good. You were supposed to."

He threw a pencil at me. I dodged, but just barely. Ukitake's choice of weapon's had always been throwing knives. He rarely got any field work now, but his skills hadn't diminished in the least (thanks to me). He could kill me with a pencil just as easily as someone with a gun or a knife. Maybe easier.

"Look," Hitsugaya sighed in defeat. "Let's suppose I agreed to learn sword fighting, and I'm not saying I did, how do you propose I even begin to learn?"

He gave him an evil smile, and the boy paled visibly. He looked sorry he'd asked.

"I'm so glad you asked," he said, evil smile still in place. I could almost imagine him rubbing his hands together and cackling.

Hitsugaya gulped.

Ukitake stood and walked to the door, then waved a hand to show he should follow. I tagged along out of curiosity. He led us deeper into the maze of corridors known as our base, passing door after door. Finally, he stopped at a plain looking white one that was almost hidden within in the walls. I'd never seen this door before. It was labeled "Elementary Sword Fighting." Figures.

He rapped on the door a couple of times. Nobody answered. He began to grow impatient.

"Shunsui!" he hollered. We covered our ears. "I know you're in there. Open the damn door!"

Slow footsteps could be heard from the other side, and the door opened a crack. A man stepped out.

"Geez, yell a little louder next time," he muttered lazily. "I don't think the dead in France aren't quite awake yet."

I studied the man. He didn't look familiar. He looked about Ukitake's age, with long brown hair pulled back in a loose ponytail, and brown eyes half-lidded with sleep.

"If you'd answered the door the first time, I wouldn't have had to wake you up like that," Ukitake retorted, unashamed.

"Touché," the man, Shunsui, responded. "Now, what has a lowly sword instructor like myself have to offer to His Highness at this fine hour?"

"That's Your Majesty to you," the other man answered teasingly, then pointed to Hitsugaya. "I've brought you a student to torture."

"Torture?" the boy echoed. I laughed. He stomped on my foot. Damn, the kid's strong!

"I'll assume it's the elementary school student then," Shunsui observed, unaware of the death glare he was being given at the comment.

"Correct," Ukitake confirmed.

The man sized Hitsugaya up, then suddenly kicked out one his legs, attempting to knock the other off his feet. He dodged instinctively, visibly shocked.

"What was that for?!" the kid cried.

"Good reflexes," he mused, ignoring Hitsugaya. "You," he pointed at the white haired boy. "You're cornered by a mugger. What do you do?"

"Why the hell would I be in that situation anyway?," he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because I said so."

"That's a horrible reason."

"Don't be a smart ass. I'm your elder, so respect me."

"The fact that you just said that proves that you don't deserve my respect."

They glared at each other for a moment, and you could almost feel the tension in the air. Then, the most unexpected thing happened: Shunsui tilted back his head and laughed.

"I like you," he decided, unknowingly quoting Ukitake. "Lot's of confidence and, what's the word, spunk? Ah, whatever. Yeah, I'll teach you."

I smirked. Ukitake nodded, then turned to Hitsugaya.

"From now on, every day after school, you're to report here. Ichigo will personally take you to this room until you remember the way by yourself. Tell your parents you've got a job here, or whatever you want," he instructed. "Everyday, you'll have a two hour lesson. Understand?"

"Yeah, I guess," he answered with a shrug.

"You guess?" was the icy question.

"Sir, yes, sir," he responded in the same mocking way I had earlier, complete with the salute and everything.

He regarded the boy with a frown, then shook his head wearily.

"Things are going to get a lot more interesting around here, aren't they?" he predicted.

We had no idea.

Yeah, this chapter's a lot shorter, but I don't think they'll be very consistent in length, what with the switching in POV and all. Either way, please review!