Everything was oddly quiet- well it wasn't all too odd. It was typical for the mornings to be rather quiet in this part of Karakura Town. I was currently strolling down the street on my way to school. I sighed in discontent. It was the first day of my second year at this high school.

"If you don't hurry up you may not make it on time."

Ah- leave it to Kame to start worrying about me getting to school on time. I merely laughed at his comment, much to his displeasure. It didn't matter if I was late; the teachers didn't care.

They simply viewed me as a handicap child. When this school learned that I was planning on walking to there and back alone they threw a whole fit. I wasn't smart in their eyes and I wouldn't "be able to defend myself if the time called for it." I was "incapable" of performing such a task as difficult as walking around town by myself.

The freaking words they said really got my gears grinding.

In the end I had to attend a meeting with my "mother" in tow just so we could argue with the Board of Education over something as trivial as this. My by-law-mother, Yumiko, actually cared for me at that time and argued that I had taken Kendo as a child and even some karate. I wasn't completely helpless in her eyes at least.

If only they all knew the truth like Kame and I do… and a few other people.

"Nori-"

"Yeah I've felt them since we passed that alley. They've been following us a few blocks. It seems like-" I closed my eyes and focused tightly, "three men. They're not too big."

Kame was about to comment on what I had just said but a voice cut him off.

"Hey girly!" A rather annoying male voice yelled out from behind me.

I turned around, not at all surprised by their presence. I had felt them walking closer and the vibrations that went through the ground to my feet told me just how close they were. However I was surprised that they too were wearing my school's uniform.

"You can make this easy for yourself and just give us all the money you got, or you can make this fun for us and not comply! Your choice!"

I glared at them harshly. "Why don't you go stick your thumbs up each other's butts and leave me alone?"

They looked rather startled by my question at first, but they weren't quiet for long. The group started to come a few steps closer. I guess they were slightly pissed by my comment.

"Look here," the leader started all over again and aggressively shoved his pointer finger at me, "we're in charge! You're gonna do what we say or pay the price."

"Nori, be careful."

"Psh I got this, Kame. Don't even worry about it."

My glare intensified and allowed myself to get into a more aggressive stance before I started growling at them. "No. You listen here and listen well. You all have exactly three seconds to get the fuck out of here and leave me alone before I break you like twigs."

The leader stared at me unfazed but his two lackeys behind him looked slightly spooked.

"1…"

The leader's eyes narrowed slightly and his buddies started to shake more.

"2."

"You're bluffing!" He looked at me straight on but I could see the slight fear in his eyes; while his friends looked like they were going to faint any second.

I paused menacingly before hissing "3" at them and lunging forward. His two buddies screamed like little girls and ran off but he lunged at me too.

He threw a sloppy punch that I easily dodged. Moving quickly I slipped past him to dodge an attempted kick to the face. His long leg flung towards me but I caught it easily in my hands and spun him off the ground.

The thug landed with a loud "uff" but sprang back up in a flash to lunge at me with a yet another punch. I saw the attack coming long before he actually attempted it, so I merely sidestepped him, hooking my foot around his ankle to pull his legs out from under him. This time when he landed face first he wasn't so quick to get back up.

His miffed face when he finally did pull himself out of dirt to get up was quite funny. Unlike the previous time I knocked him down he didn't attempt to attack me this time. Instead he just turned and started to walk away with slouched shoulders like a sore loser.

"Tch that didn't even make me break a sweat. Damn idiots better leave me the hell alone if I see them at school."

I watched his turned back walk away from me a couple meters before I flicked my foot up. He tripped with a string of curse words and stumbled forward into a chain-link fence; I chuckled slightly and turned back to the direction that I had been heading in before the commotion.

"You've improved a lot I have to say. We have Kisuke to thank for that one," he paused for a minute and I closed my eyes in pleasure at the compliment, "but did you really have to trip him with that rock like that? Nevertheless, speaking of Kisuke, remember that he wants to have a tea celebration with you at the shop after school."

"Oh god this place seems so stuffy."

"You should enjoy at least having this one normality in your life. You have talking necklace that's giving you powers, you're friends with powerful Soul Reapers, and you've seen things that very few people can explain."

"Maybe I don't like normality. Maybe I prefer weirdness." I grumbled mentally.

I never liked school. They always gave me problems; if it wasn't the older kids bothering me, it was the teachers annoying me with the way they treated me, or dealing with my lack of friends.

"Well at least it's my second year in high school so I get a little bit of seniority now. Plus I am a much better fighter." I grinned at the thought of pummeling those snotty ass kids that always picked on me.

"School is neither the time nor place for fighting like that, Nori. You'd get in a lot of trouble. Just think before you act."

I huffed quietly.

I laid low in my first class: history. I was able to skim by in math too, and even had no trouble in our kanji lesson. I guess I was just lucky that my class was full of kids that I didn't mind; as opposed to last year when it was teeming with assholes. And my teacher was a nice lady as well so that was a good change from the old hag I had last year.

"Alright guys! It's lunch time so go have your lunches but be back here before the bell rings or you'll be late!"

And that was my cue to take cover. I realized towards the end of last year that the easiest way to get by lunch without any problems was to make my way over to the library. The sigh clearly said "NO FOOD OR DRINKS". I found though that after I had frequented there quite a few times the librarian didn't really mind me eating there as long as I was away from the books in the far back corner.

It was the perfect place to hide.

"Who's that?"

Upon arriving at the library Kame was just as surprised as I was to see someone else already here. It was a tall boy with dark blue hair and glasses. He had a few books laid out on the table and was bent over them, studying something I couldn't see. I don't why but I felt compelled to see what this boy was so intent on learning and studying on the first day of school.

"Whatcha reading?"

He looked at me; surprise was on his face for a whole of 3 seconds before he returned to what he was looking at.

"Oh- uh nothing of much importance. Just studying." His eyes drifted from the page to try to study my eyes discreetly.

"Yeah I'm blind in one, what's it to you?" His face turned slightly red as he was embarrassed for being caught in the act of staring, "You must be a first year student here I take it then."

He looked away then back at me, "Yeah I am. My name is Ishida, Uryu."

I chuckled a little, "Well what do you know? Seems were more alike than I thought. I'm Ishikawa, Nori."

"There's something about this boy, Nori. I can't put my finger on it though."

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Kame, but you can't put your finger on anything because you don't have any."

Kame seemed rather annoyed by that comment.

"I guess so but the kanji reading and the kanji 'ishi' itself is actually-"

I flicked him in the nose, "I was just trying to lighten the mood is all, geez." I looked over the table in front of me then back at Uryu, "You do know it's lunch time now, right?"

His face looked slightly panicked "Ah I didn't- I suppose I should get out of here and find somewhere to eat."

I stood up and closed a couple of the books that had been scattered on the table, "Nah you don't need to do that. Just stay here and eat; that's what I'm doing."

"There's a sign outside on the door that clearly states we can't do that. Are you trying to get me in trouble as a prank?"

Quickly I held my hands up in surrender and laughed "No of course not. I'm serious," I moved to sit at a table a little further back and opened up my lunch box, "See? The librarian knows I'm not a terrible kid so she doesn't mind. I'm doing you a favor because we're 'ishi' siblings."

Uryu looked slightly unsure of how to take my gesture at first. "Well," he fixed his glasses and they shined in the light for a minute, "I suppose it would only be proper since you reminded me it was lunch time…"

I gave him a slight smirk as he too moved to my table and sat across from me, "Congratulations on being the first person I've met the whole year I've lived here that doesn't annoy me."

"I've got it. He's a Quincy."

"A Quincy? What's that?"

Kame went on to explain exactly what a Quincy was quickly, and with perfect timing since as soon as he finished a loud voice rang through the library.

"Hi Uryu!" A big chested girl with orange hair came bounding over.

I raised an eyebrow at him as she approached our table and started rambling, "Oh Uryu I saw you through the door and thought I'd say 'hi' because-" she stopped and looked at me swiftly before turning back to him, "Oh I'm sorry Uryu! I didn't know you were having lunch with your girlfriend here!"

I bit back laughter at the sight of Uryu's priceless expression; even Kame was slightly tickled from the whole scene.

"Ah haha sorry I'm not Uryu's girlfriend." I smiled at her, "We're just eating lunch together because this loser almost studied right through lunch. I'm Ishikawa, Nori."

She beamed at me, "Nice to meet you, Ishikawa! I'm Inoue, Orihime!" Then she looked apologetically at the frazzled Uryu, "and sorry about that Uryu."

I waved off her earlier properness, "Just call me Nori."

Orihime looked at me happily and agreed. Then she looked around the library silently.

"You know I was going to join Tatsuki for lunch but she had to go see the new coach about training. Do you mind if I join you?"

I shook my head, "Not at all, Orihime. I take it that you're a first year student here too, so there's no problem with it. Sometimes it's hard to find spots to eat when you're a first year."

She put her pointer finger on her chin and a pondering look came to her face, "I wonder if Ichigo has found a place to eat… oh well I bet he's fine! Who wants to try some of my new food that I've made?"

Orihime proceeded to hold up her lunch box in offer and the contents inside of it seemed slightly odd. I raised an eyebrow at her.

"She seems slightly ditzy…"

"But she obviously means well."

"Yeah. She seems alright by my books."

For the remaining lunch time we had we just mainly talked about our classes and what we were going to do after school. Uryu bragged about his intelligence and his test scores; to which I playfully punched him and told them about my test scores and "elephant memory", as my great-grandmother used to call it. Orihime made sure to get our conversation off track by stuffing one of her creations into Uryu's mouth while he was talking.

It was probably one of my best lunches.