Well, this was kind of late. So many editing problems! Sorry for making you wait, but it was either that or have a chapter with seven million spelling/grammar mistakes. *sigh* I can usually check my own, but it takes forever!

But enough of that. As always, thank you to all those who reviewed. You guys make me so happy! ^^ Please, keep it up!

Not Normal

Chapter 5

Hitsugaya

I stared up at the restaurant in apprehension. Today was going to be my first day of sword practice, and I was nervous. Very nervous. But I swallowed the feeling and headed for the door. Ichigo was there, casually leaning against it. He looked up as I approached, and waved. I nodded in response. Guess neither of us were really in a talkative mood. That suited me just fine.

He led me down the elevator and through the hallways that I didn't think I'd ever manage to memorize. They all looked the same! Light glittered off something at Ichigo's hip, and when I turned to look, I was met with the sight of two completely different guns than the other day. These two were white and black, with the symbol carved out in the opposite color.

"You're guns..." I started. He stopped, but gave no other indication of hearing me. "They're different."

"Yeah," he agreed, still not turning.

"Why?"

Ichigo sighed. "Those were spares. These two are my real weapons. They were in for repairs the other day, so I couldn't use them."

"What happened to them?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"My last partner cursed them," he admitted grudgingly. "Said it was a farewell gift or something."

"I guess they didn't like you," I observed, then something else dawned on me. "Wait, cursed?"

"Yeah. She made it so they could only shoot bubbles," the orange haired boy said, rubbing his head in exasperation. "Stupid shorty."

"That's not what I meant," was my irritable response. "I mean, how did she curse them?"

"Oh, she was a sorceress."

The hallways were quiet, and the only sounds were the clicking of our shoes against the tiles.

"You were partners with an sorceress?" I repeated finally.

"What of it?"

"I just didn't know you guys hire supernaturals. Will I have to compete against supernatural creatures in the exam?"

"Maybe, maybe not," he responded unhelpfully. "It depends on whether or not they decide to show up. Probably."

By this time, we'd reached our destination, and I was feeling decidedly less hopeful than I had been yesterday.

"Wonderful." Sarcasm dripped from the word.

"You'll be fine," Ichigo assured me, then began to walk back the same way we'd come from. "Good luck!" he called over his shoulder before turning a corner and disappearing from sight, leaving me alone.

"Thanks," I mumbled even though he couldn't hear me anymore. I turned to the door, and the nervousness that had disappeared while I talked with him came back full force. I just stared at it for a few minutes, then finally, decided that I may as well just get it over with, and pushed it open. I was met with a wooden sword swinging at my face. I ducked, and it just barely clipped the ends of my hair.

"What the hell was that?!" I yelled at Shunsui, my new sword instructor/assailant. The sword now rested on his shoulder casually, and he regarded me with boredom. "You could have taken my head off!"

"If you can't even dodge that, you don't deserve to be my pupil," he explained smoothly. I gaped at him.

"You're kidding, right?"

"'Fraid not," he studied my clothes critically. "You're not seriously going to practice in that are you?"

I looked down at my outfit, an unzipped blue hoodie with a T-shirt underneath, jeans, and sneakers.

"What's wrong with it?" I asked defensively.

"Well, you won't have a big of range of movement with it, that's for sure," he responded bluntly, then pointed to across the hallway to a wooden door on the other side. "There's a closet there. Choose some warm-up clothes, then come back. You have five minutes."

I stared at him incredulously.

"It would be in your best interest to change," he advised, giving me a gentle shove towards the door. I stumbled out into the hallway, then turned to glare, but the man had already retreated back into the room. With a sigh, I pushed open the other door.

Inside was a plain room with a bench running along the left side. A tall mirror leaned against the wall opposite the door, and a rack of clothing took up the remaining wall. Hanging off the rack were exercising clothes of all sizes. I looked through them for a minute or so before finally deciding on a loose pair of black shorts and a blue jersey with a black number 4 printed on the back. Exactly what I'd wear for soccer.

I changed quickly, then rushed back into the practice room, letting Shunsui take in my new outfit. I took this chance to look around the room, which I hadn't been able to do yesterday considering I hadn't had a chance to enter it. This room was even plainer than the changing room, with a dark wood floor and white walls. There was an assortment of swords on one wall, ranging from fencing rapiers to wooden swords like the one he'd tried to hit me with earlier. Other than that though, there wasn't much to see.

"That'll work," he decided finally. "From now on, try and bring your own clothes. Now, onto the lesson."

I gulped. He didn't miss it, and smiled.

"Relax," he said. "It's really not that hard."

I raised an eyebrow, not convinced. He walked over to the swords, and picked out three. The first was a slender fencing foil, the tip covered by a small rubber ball. The second looked like a club with a blade attached. The last was made of wood. One side of the wooden blade stayed straight while the other curved in to meet it at the point. He held them out to me.

"Pick your favorite," the man ordered.

I weighed all three carefully. The foil was light, but didn't seem stable enough for me. The second was too heavy. I could barely lift the thing! How'd he expect me to fight with it? The last was heavier than the foil, but much lighter than the club-like monstrosity. I decided on that one.

"This one, I guess," I held up the wooden one.

"Good choice," he approved, then picked up the heavier of the two others. "I'll be honest, I just pulled this one out to see your reaction. I didn't think you'd actually choose it, and I was right."

I rolled my eyes. When he finished congratulating himself, he threw the rejected swords into a corner. I just watched with disinterest. Until he told me to attack him.

"What? But you're not armed!" I protested.

"If I, a hardened professional, need a sword to defend against you, a complete novice, then I'm the one who needs the lessons," he explained. My eye twitched in annoyance.

"I'm not holding back," I warned.

"I'm not expecting you to," Shunsui replied easily.

"You asked for it," I muttered, then leapt at him. He seemed a bit surprised at the suddenness of my attack, but he still dodged. Easily.

"Nice speed," he praised me. I didn't want praise. I wanted to kick his arrogant ass into next week. And I told him so. He laughed. "You just try, and see how far you get," he baited.

And for the next hour and a half, that's just what I did. I attacked relentlessly, and each time I did, he dodged, and I grew more frustrated. He made a few moves to attack, and each time that happened, I ended up on the floor. When he finally called a stop, I was panting, sweating, and exhausted, and he looked like he'd just walked out of a spa. Which, of course, made me madder.

"You have good endurance, speed, and power," he rattled off as I sat on the floor, gulping down water. "But you have way too many unnecessary movements. Your attacks don't flow, you have far too many openings, and your defense is virtually nonexistent. And you get angry too easily. Once you get angry in a fight, it's all over. When you're angry, you don't have good judgment skills, and you don't think straight. As you've just demonstrated."

"As much as I like listening to you tell me all the things I did wrong, are you actually going to teach me anything today?" I snapped.

"Not today," he answered. "We're out of time, and besides, today was a test."

"Did I pass?" I asked, curious despite myself.

"We shall see," he responded mysteriously, which told me absolutely nothing.

"Huh?"

"You'll understand someday."

"Uh-huh." I wasn't convinced.

"Just change and go home already," he ordered playfully. "I tire of your presence."

"Whatever."

I grudgingly did as I was told. When I walked out of the changing room, bag slung over one shoulder, and almost ran into Ichigo. He was waiting in front of the door, but his back was turned to me. He was staring at the training room, and I realized that he was probably waiting for me. I walked up and tapped him on the shoulder, anticipating his reaction with almost childish glee. I wasn't disappointed. He jumped at the touch, and whirled to face me. I gave him my best bored look. His eyes widened, and he blushed lightly in embarrassment.

"Is that what you derive your amusement from, you sick child?" he asked. "Making innocent bystanders jump three feet out of their skin?"

"That was an awfully complicated sentence," I observed. "Do you even know what half those words mean? Also, you were laying on the melodrama a little thick, don't you think?"

"That was a perfectly calculated amount of drama, you uncultured cretin," he responded in mock disapproval.

I snorted in response.

"Whatever you say, Your Great Scholarliness," I said with a bow.

"I am great, aren't I?" he mused happily. "There should be statues erected in my honor."

"Yeah, I'll get right on that," I muttered.

"See that you do," was his response.

We looked at each other, then he started laughing. A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. I wasn't really one for laughing, but that didn't mean I didn't have a sense of humor. We stayed like that for a while until Ukitake found us. He just watched silently for a few minutes, but when Ichigo showed no signs of stopping, he sighed, walked over, and hit him over the head. This time, it was my turn to laugh a little, while my companion whirled to face the white haired man in indignation.

"There are other ways of getting people's attention, you know," he informed Ukitake.

"I know," the man responded evenly. "I just choose not to use them. Physical violence is always the best course of action to take with you anyways."

My chuckles were starting to subside, so I said hi. He responded with a polite, "Hello, Hitsugaya-san. How'd you like your first day of practice?" My good mood dissipated quickly.

"Fine, I guess," I mumbled in response. He raised an eyebrow, but didn't ask about it.

"I see," he turned his attention to Ichigo. "Before your spazz-attack, did you get a chance to ask him what I sent you over here for in the first place?"

"Um," the orange haired boy looked at his feet sheepishly. "Not exactly."

"And by that you mean?"

"No."

"Ask me what?" I questioned.

Ukitake sighed. "I sent this idiot," he shot a glare at the boy, who thankfully had the grace to not look up. "To ask whether or not you're free tomorrow. It's a Saturday, after all."

"Yeah, I think so," I answered thoughtfully. "Why?"