IT'S TIME! Here is the moment you have all been waiting for! Their arrival…is HERE! big grin::

Disclaimer: The Dragonball Franchise and Bleach, its characters, settings, etc., belong to their respective creators. All original characters, settings, etc., belong to ME.

Chapter 4: School Days

Kira never really liked school, especially high school. It wasn't the fact that she had to deal with multiple subjects and teachers…Part of her dislike was the students but the other were the spirits she would see floating around.

When she was a young child, she believed the floating figures around her were just her imaginative friends. Her grandfather had noticed her talking to the beings and he told her they were ghosts when she was old enough to understand. Apparently it was a gift in her family, the ability to see spirits. It didn't really impact her life until that day…in middle school…

A particular annoying spirit was trying to get her to notice it while she was taking a math test. It was pulling all the stops but Kira had learned to ignore the ghosts when needed. This little brat of a ghost didn't like being ignored…So…It decided to destroy the pipping, effectively flooding the school. Several days later, when the clean up finished and everyone returned to school, Kira's name was scrawled all over her home room.

Safe to say, she had been blamed for the incident and others that had occurred after. Broken windows, flickering lights…Kira was always to blame. No one wanted to be near her or even talk to her thus she turned to drawing. The torture continued well into high school…That was when IT started appearin…and only IT.

Her first semester of high school had been the normal run of annoying spirits and people shying away from her. When she returned after winter holidays, she first noticed an odd…air about the school…It felt…Clean almost…Like the air had been purified. She had also discovered one other surprising sight…

There were no ghosts…Anywhere…The only weird thing she could see…was the odd blackness. It appeared everywhere, in the hallway, outside in the courtyard, yet still no other spirits were seen. She had told her grandfather about the black being and he had gotten strangely quiet. It was in her second year of high school he died and she was brought to the Son family.

Outside Kahn Academy looked like a regular white building but inside was a rainbow of colors everywhere. Kira did a quick sweep of her new school's brightly covered walls. There were students on ladders finishing up some artwork on a wall; so true their focus they barely noticed her walk by. Yet no spirits in sight.

"Room 345…Here we are." Her guide, the principal himself, gestured to a door with large window. Inside were students in deep concentration on their drawing tables. A knock and a woman came up, her strawberry blonde hair tied at the nap of her neck.

"Ah…You must be Son Kira." She smiled gently. "Welcome…I'm your drawing teacher as well as your home room teacher."

"Uh…Hi…" The woman went into the room, clapped.

"Everyone, we have a new student!" The woman gestured to Kira. "Come on in…"

Taking a mental breath, Kira stepped into the classroom. It was a drawer's dream to be sure. Easels of all shapes and sizes lined the walls, some obviously being taken down to be used during class. Pencils, pens, and all other types of drawing utensils were scattered about on desks, some even on the floor as some students evidentially preferred to work down there. Many sets of eyes were upon her, her classmates and Kira could barely speak.

"Everyone, this is Son Kira." The teacher introduced her and the woman looked at her. "Well…Go ahead, have a seat Kira-San…We are in the middle of drawing something meaningful to us…"

Wait…Where was the model? Usually Kira drew actual people and places that were in front of her.

"I've seen your work…You are very good, Kira-San." The teacher said. "But, you need to be able to draw…without a model to guide you. Go ahead, and try…Draw something that inspires you."

Blinking Kira could barely comprehend what was going on until a student in the back raised her hand.

"We'll help her adjust!" The student happened to be a girl with black hair and black eyes.

The teacher smiled. "Thank you, Rukia-san." She said to the girl. "Go ahead, Kira-san."

While everyone got back to their work, Kira ventured to the back, where a small group of students were situated. The student that spoke up was the first to greet Kira.

"Kuchiki Rukia." She held out a hand which Kira took. "Welcome to Kahn Academy!"

"Oi! Urusai. Be quiet." The kid with white hair was at his desk, absentmindedly doing…Something…Drawing circles? And just circles? The guy looked rather bored.

"That's Hitsugaya-San." Rukia whispered to Kira. "He's not much to talk to.." She grabbed Kira's hand. "Come on…There's a seat next to me."

"Uh…" Kira was practically dragged to an empty desk behind Hitsugaya-San. To the left, sitting next to the window, was another guy with short black hair.

"Oh…hi…" Unlike Hitsugaya-San, this guy seemed more like a mouse than anything. His voice was small and he looked like he was…shaking a bit?

"Hanataro-kun…" Rukia-San giggled. "Always jittery I see." She slapped her hands together and grinned. "Alright…we should get to work, ne Kira-San?"

Kira just paused and took her seat. "Uh…Yeah…" A tap on her shoulder and she turned around to be greeted by another girl with black hair tied in a small blue bonnet behind her head.

"Hi…I'm Hinamori." She greeted most kindly. "Do you need anything?"

"Uh…An easel and a pencil guess…?" Still a bit miffed, Kira watched as Hinamori handed her a black artist pencil. Normally Kira used regular lead pencils but this…This was the real deal…An actual artist tool.

A light tap on her desk and she turned around to find a medium sized easel being set on her desk by Hitsugaya-San. The kid said nothing as he placed the object down then returned to his own circle creation.

Kira stared at the easel for a long moment. The easels in this particular room came with their own tear off paper packets, thus Kira didn't need to worry about paper.

"Remember, draw what inspires you." Rukia at desk to the right, gave Kira a thumbs up before returning to a drawing at her desk.

Again, Kira's eyes went to the paper and now the pencil in her hand. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the pencil to the paper…

She felt it, that feeling that occurred every time she drew. The world was utterly gone, replaced by the light sound of dragging pencil on paper. It was like something was leaving her form, flowing from her mind, down her arm to her hand and finally the pencil. It was a wonderful feeling to be sure…When drawing Kira rarely had a mind of her own…Like something was guiding her hand.

She felt something on her shoulder; blinking the school room returned but it was void of students except for Kira…and Rukia who had a hand on Kira's shoulder.

"Wow…That's amazing, Kira-San!" Rukia gapped. "But come on! It's time for the next class."

Setting the pencil down Kira joined Rukia in the hallway. As they ventured down the lengths of classrooms and windows, Kira started looking for the black haze…

It was nowhere to be seen…And again, neither were any spirits.

Am I…Really free? Hope developed in her form. Could she finally have a somewhat normal life? At least here in school?

Maybe so…And perhaps…Rukia…would be her first friend…That wasn't dead.

Meanwhile, the drawing room was not as empty as Kira thought it to be. Steps went towards her drawing which still hung on the easel at her desk. A brief moment and a cell phone was opened, a call confirmed on the other side.

"Contact reached." A pause. "Hai…" Blue eyes gazed at the drawing. "There are no outward signs, but it will get worse over time…especially since she resides with them. It was a bad idea to include Kuchiki-San in this venture…" Another pause, a frown. "Fine…But I am not doing this because I am being ordered, merely because I owe you. We all owe you…Kurosaki Ichigo…"

Next Time: Confrontation