Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, or any of the Bleach characters used in this fic. They all belong to Tite Kubo: the genius behind the captivating manga that started it all. I only own any of my original characters that I choose to include, as well as any of my own original plot ideas.

Little Signs Tell All

A/N: Pre-TBTP.

"You got it wrong."

She turns, surprised to see that there's still one student in the room. Not very social, she's noticed, but he knows how to get his point across. He stares at her lazily, almost as if she's a fly on the wall, just waiting to die. Rather uncomfortable, really.

It's not easy for her to dislike anyone, even the most irritating of people, but this boy really takes the cake. Rude isn't enough to describe the way he behaves. Cold, insouciant, and bitter. Whatever problems he has, she continues hoping that he'll keep them out of her classroom. It's problem enough dealing with thirty other students each day, a few of them perfect little beasts.

Still, it's a bit funny, the way this boy watches her. He can't be any older than nine, and yet he speaks to her as if they're on the same level. Equals, as it were.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean." She's trying to be polite, reminding herself that children, especially, need positive reinforcement. Though, it seems that he believes that kind of behavior to be beneath him.

He makes a face, rolling his eyes at her as he leans against his hand. "You said that 'practice makes perfect,'" the boy says, echoing a statement from her lesson. He taps his fingers on the table for a moment. "You're wrong."

A smile meets her lips as she crosses the room, kneeling by his desk. "Oh? And how is that?"

The boy waves a hand at her, almost as if he's dismissing her question. "How can anything make perfect? If you make it that far, assuming it even exists, then what? What do you have to look forward to? If you're perfect, then there's nothing left."

She isn't about to argue with that statement, strange as it is having come from a child. "I see," she says, rolling it over in her mind. "Well, I'll be sure to remember that from now on. Thank you."

Another face is made as he hops out of his seat, making a beeline for the door without even looking back.

She stands, finding herself to be in a bit of shock. He's bright, she admits, but comes across as being rather obnoxious. It worries her when students behave this way. Makes her wonder where they'll be in ten, even twenty, years.

It's sad, really. The way this boy is going, he'll likely make a few serious mistakes.