Author's Snippet: Ahoie! It's been quite a while, ne? Anyway, here's the chapter!^^

Thanks to cuarzan PetFly Panini for taking time to proof read this!

DOZO~! .disclaimers

Chapter TWO: True Colors

The school's first week was about to end and people started to pour out of the classrooms. Hitsugaya Toushirou was glad that the day was almost over. Now the only thing left to do was basketball practice. This one wouldn't be that long anyway since today was just the start of another school year. So all that he has to do, being the captain that he is, is to brief his teamates once again and announce the new practice schedule he made.

"Shiro! Shiro-kun!" A girl called from the crowd. Toushirou stopped and turned around.

He would know that voice anywhere.

Hinamori Momo.

And he saw her, weaving her way through the pouring crowd, her heavy books nearly slipping from her small grasp. She was rather short and had her black hair in a tight bun at the back of her head. Her school uniform was a bit wrinkled, probably from carrying books around. She worked as a student assistant, under that freakishly clean-looking Aizen Sousuke, the school librarian.

Not to mention that he always requires Momo's presence.

"Hey Shiro-kun, I thought for a while you didn't hear me." Momo's eyes were tinged with worry.

"No. Your squeaky voice stands out in the crowd." Hitsugaya's well-placed scowl lightened a bit. She hit his arm playfully.

"Yeah, right. Mr. Genius! Anyway, I was asked by Mr. Aizen to give this to you. He said, a note will probably do the trick in getting that book back."

"Why would he want it back already? I just borrowed it this morning." He paused for a moment then faked a shocked realization.

"Does he really want it back or is it you who wants it back? After all, that book's place is at the top shelf, it would probably take you a week to put it back, that's why you've decided to get it from me early on so that he won't scold you for being irresponsible." He looked at her quizically, his teal eyes teasing, remembering when he was still shamefully short and she was the one who towered above him. But that was before high school. He smirked.

People around him consider themselves lucky to even get a reply longer than two sentences from him. To them, Hitsugaya Toushirou was a cold iceberg floating alone in the sea of cliques - untouchable, unreachable and mysterious. The only one he ever made an effort to speak with was Hinamori Momo. This caused some students to actually think that were a couple which led to nothing but disaster. Naturally, when Hitsugaya's fangirls heard of this, they started bullying Momo. So in order for them to stop, the Ice Man himself proved that they were just good friends who go way back and that cleared Momo of all her 'wrong doings'.

"I'll pretend that you didn't just insult my cute height, Mr. Genius." Momo continued to speak in a happy tone. "He just said that the headmaster Yamamoto asked for the book that's why you must return it immediately. Come on, give!" She montioned for him to give the book up.

Hitsugaya looked at her and was about to give the book when he realized that that would require her to go back to the library building which was a bit far, while carrying those big books along.

"Ahh. Okay then. But let me do the honors. I promise to personally return it right after basketball practice."

"You mean after you torture you team mates?"

"Haha. Very funny Ms. Hinamori."

"Hahaha. Promise?" She held out her cute pinky.

Pinky swear in a hallway full of people? Fine.

"Promise."

"Okay then! I'll go ahead!"

"Yeah."

With her worry eased, Hinamori Momo, submerged once again in the sea of people who excitedly talked about how they spent their summer. The Ice Man, stared at her back and closed his eyes.

I'd do anything Momo. Anything.

Anything for you.

He swallowed the lump that form in his throat and sighed as he walked towards the locker room.

"Time to release all that stress."

&*&

Half of the Karakura High's Varsity Basketball Team was late. Again.

"Hanatarou. What reason did they leave you with this time.?" He glanced at the basket a few meters away from him.

"Ano, Taichou-"

"Ball." A freshman rolled one to Hitsugaya's direction. The team captain dribbled then threw a shot.

Shoot.

"Where Hanatarou?" He motioned for the freshman to pass a ball again.

"They went to-"

"Ball." He said in undertone and the freshman passed.

"-see Kuchiki-senpai off-" Hitsugaya was poised to shoot when Hanatarou spoke.

What he said however made him miss the basket. The ball made a loud noise as it bounced.

"-today..." Hanatarou's voiced died down. Hitsugaya Toushirou was a model to him. He respected his captain in all aspects a looked up to him. If ever there was something he feared of him, it was his infamous anger. Having witnessed it once in the heated match against their archrivals, the Hueco Mundo Bats, it was something he never wished to be a directed at him.

So when his white-haired captain spoke again, he knew what to do.

"See Kuchicki off?" Hitsugaya dangerously repeated in a low voice.

EVADE HANATAROU! EVADE!

"H-hai,T-Taichou."

The teal-eyed prodigy roughly took a ball from the innocent freshman's hand and released it.

It went in. He sighed.

"No water breaks today. When I get back everybody's warmed-up. Is that clear, Hanatarou?"

"H-Hai, taichou."

The captain was gone before Hanatarou could blink again.

"Kuchiki." His scowl deepened then walked briskly out of the gym and on to the school's main gate.

Out of earshot, those who were left behind sighed.

"I really thought he was gonna kick our asses."

"Taichou's really scary."

"I feel sorry for the other members already."

"Yeah, we should. I've seen Taichou get mad and he made a mess of everybody. I guess it won't be any different this time." Hanatarou ended the conversations.

"Alright guys! Let's warm up!"

&*&

He never expected his first week to turn out this way.

He had planned to successfully stay out of Yachiru's line of vision and therefore live this year peacefully. But that insufferable, bunny-addicted-banshee just had to pick Karakura High from all the high schools in Japan and get Ukitake-sensei to seat her beside him so that she could annoy him endlessly with all her questions about the weather, their school, their homeroom's sickness and whether or not he can understand her latest Chappy the Rabbit abstract drawing. It was all useless babling and he found her extremely annoying to no end. Every moment she opened her small mouth, big annoying words would always fly out and drive him nuts.

She kept on giving off an impression that if she didn't talk, she'd die. On closer observation though, he felt as if she was desparately hidding something under that banshee façade. But no matter, it didn't change his opinion of her.

She acted in a sweet and kind manner but Toushirou knew better. Her pretenscious actions annoyed him so much that it makes him sick. He would rather hang out with Yachiru every day than to have a decent conversation with her. But now, he had no choice.

She was nearly on par with Yachiru as the bane of his existence.

"Damn them. No more 5 minute break to watch the cheerleaders, never again. Tch." He cursed to himself.

He knew that the only reason why his teammates would go see that annoying girl off is because they're hoping to catch a glimpse of her brother.

"Big brother Kuchiki would probably the one fetching that noisy girl today."

And of course, our boy genius was right. He saw his teammates bundled up at the center of the school's main entrance, standing stiffly near the fountain.

As he neared them, he saw her.

Rukia Kuchiki was sitting on the bench, talking with their classmate, the captain of the girls' basketball varsity team - Tatsuki Arisawa. Both of them were so engrossed in what they were talking about that they didn't notice that half of his team was watching them.

&*&*

"Kuchiki-san, I suppose you also know how to play basketball given that your brother is really good at it." Tatsuki questioned her excitedly.

"Ano…actually I really suck at basketball. I don't know how to play and Nii-sama's just busy in concentrating on building his career when we were younger that I couldn't really ask him to teach me." The captain of the girls' basketball team looked shocked.

"Are you for real?! I mean, you've got to be kidding me, Kuchiki-san!"

Kuchiki Rukia laughed out loud and smiled.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you captain, but I really am a fish out of water in a basketball court. I'll tell you a secret…" Rukia motioned her to come closer.

"Bouncing balls scare me." After hearing her confession, the spiky-haired girl threw her head back and laughed.

"Well that's certainly a problem! But you do watch your brother's games don't you?"

"Yeah. I love watching games!"

"Then maybe you should come see us practice sometime, ne?" Tatsuki winked.

Before Rukia could answer though, a car pulled up infront of them.

&*&

Hitsugaya was almost there when a black Porsche 911 GT3 pulled in front of the engrossed girls. People looked but all eyes were instantly transfixed to the person who stepped out of the car.

The guy towered above most of the people and his sleek black hair was worn in a ponytail. The white polo shirt, faded jeans and white leather shoes he wore were plain enough. Anybody could wear the same stuff but nobody will be able to make it look as cool as Kuchiki Byakuya. He just carried this air that made people feel serious but cool at the same time. If his look would be summed up in two words it would be 'A Prince', because really, he passes off to be one.

"Rukia." Kuchiki Byakuya's rich voice almost echoed because of the silence that enveloped the whole place. The said girl stopped talking abruptly then looked up to see her regal brother, leaning on his car.

"Nii-sama!? Did something happen to Pierre-san?" To the approaching Toushirou, his annoying, noisy seatmate just transformed.

"She's an annoying banshee in class but in front of that guy she turns into a bite-sized Cinderella. What the hell…"

&*&

"No, Pierre-san's fine. I just got off from practice and your new school's on the same way home so I decided to save him some trouble." Byakuya spoke in a slightly warmer manner that if Rukia didn't know her brother she wouldn't have noticed.

"Ahh. Good then, Pierre-san's not it trouble. Well..." Rukia turned to Tatsuki.

"Well, thank you for you invitation Tatsuki-san. I'll think about it." Tatsuki on the other hand, was too entranced to answer back.

Really Nii-sama. I'm immune because your my brother but everybody else...They're just at your mercy.

Rukia took a sorry glance from the basketball captain and sighed. It couldn't be helped. She was about to go inside when she her cute radar beeped.

Eh? What's he doing here?

Her white-haired classmate wasn't looking at her but at her brother. And he wasn't just looking. It was almost as if he was glaring at her brother. She looked to see if her brother noticed and she saw that he looked intently on him too, with a little hint of emotion, like the way he looked at her when she woke up in the hospital two months ago.

"Oh right! Nii-sama, this is my seatmate, Hitsugaya Toushirou." Rukia smiled sweetly.

"I thought you quit the club." Rukia expected that they knew each other but she was still taken aback by his icy tone.

"I did. People are just stupid enough to insist that I didn't. They don't know anything anyway." Toushirou took a step and stood in front of Rukia.

"I'm actually surprised to see you here. You really have guts, Byakuya". His teal eyes narrowed dangerously, as if questioning Byakuya.

"The guts of a traitor?" Hitsugaya added in a low voice.

"Don't you talk to Nii-sama that way!" Rukia's hands were now clenched fists as her violet eyes threateningly.

"I see you still haven't opened you eyes. Yes, I have guts. I wouldn't have done what I did if I didn't. Come on Rukia." The black-haired girl glared at Toushirou before she got in the car. In a few moments the engine roared and they drove off leaving dust behind.

"Yeah,I still don't get why you had the guts to sell us." Hitsugaya Toushirou's gaze followed the car until it faded from his sight.

Author's Endnote: I tweaked things a bit so expect a little more twist.^^ Reviews are much appreciated!