*Bleach and all its character's belong to Tite Kubo.

Karakura Town was making itself ready for the end summer. The birds were chirping. The sounds of children playing could be heard. And it was all pissing Tatsuki off. She had just received a letter from the Karakura High School's martial arts team. This year it was required that she have a partner to be able to participate in the events. She ripped the paper in half then in a dozen tiny pieces and thought what to do. She had worked so hard for this and look what was happening! It would all be for nothing because she needed a partner. And even if she did get a partner, if they didn't win their bouts in the tournaments she couldn't move forward. This new rule the council set in place must be to smite her. Last year she beat everyone, boy and girl alike, from every team in her district. Maybe she shouldn't have mouthed off to them after changing the weights classes so that she was forced into a smaller class with fewer people. She heard the front door close. She scrambled around her room to pick up the pieces of the letter. Her brothers were home and this was something she wouldn't let the three elder boys know.

"Neechan, did you get the mail?"

The youngest of her elder brothers walked into her room as she snatched up the last strip of paper. He watched her on the floor.

"Yeah, I put it on the kitchen table Hiroshi." She gave him a bright smile as she picked up the pen that she had "dropped."

"When are Kanaye and Jiro coming home?"

The oldest of the Arisawa brothers, twins, owned their own clothing store and they usually got home late.

"They have to put a new shipment of shoes on the racks. They said not to wait up for them. I brought us take out."

"I'll be there in a minute."

She waited until she heard her door close before she unballed the crushed paper in her fist. Hiroshi was making his way through college to become a doctor like their parents. They had lost them in a plane crash when Tatsuki was young. Ichigo's father, Isshin, had made sure that they were well taken care of. That's how she became close friends with Ichigo. She sighed as she threw the scraps away. Thinking about her parents always made her heart ache. Mostly she felt sad because she would never know them. But she did know her brothers. And they would raise all kinds of hell if she told them about the new rule. She rubbed the back of her neck as she thought. Martial arts was her ticket to college. If she didn't have that then her brothers would pay her way. That is what she didn't want. Kanaye and Jiro took a hobby and made it into a booming business. And Hiroshi had all the brains, she was smart but she couldn't hope to get as many scholarships as he did. And she refused to let her brothers take care of this too. For as long as she remembered they had worked hard to give her everything that she needed. It was time for her to get something for herself. But now… she looked back at the trash can. Tomorrow she'd have to hunt out a partner that wasn't terrified of her. She would understand if no one in the martial arts club wanted to partner with her. She had beat them all and being the only girl in the club didn't make it any easier. She picked herself out of her desk chair. She would need all her strength for the start of school tomorrow.

"Rukia, you got that letter?"

The red head watched as the petite shinigami munched on bunny shaped gummies in a sparse hall at Karakura High.

"What letter?"

"The one where it say you have to be in a club. Something about getting students involved in extracurricular activities."

The raven haired girl looked up at him, "Yes, I read it. I think it's nice that they want us to be active in school."

He frowned at her. She was getting way to into this school thing. "Well, which club are you in?"

Rukia suddenly stopped in the middle of the hall interrupting the now heavy flow of traffic. He stopped quickly enough not to run into her but not her finger. It jabbed into his chest. "You are not joining the culinary club with me and Inoue."

He scowled at her in the middle of the hall ignoring the stairs he was getting. No matter where he went he got stares. He wasn't used to it and damn did it get annoying. "Why the hell not?"

"Because it's our girl time."

He saw the gentle smile on her face and knew that this was important to her. He got it. He wouldn't join the stupid club.

"Ichigo!"

Tatsuki caught her oldest friend just as he stepped outside of his house. She stopped her jog and started to walk along side him her breath flowing easily into a calm rhythm.

"You got that letter?"

Tatsuki nodded as she adjusted her shoulder bag, "Yeah, except that the Martial Arts club took it a step further. I have to have a partner now. And they have to keep up with me."

Ichigo gave the girl a confused look. She shook her head. "I know. It sucks. But I came to ask you if you were still doing the Young Doctor's club."

She saw Ichigo pull at the strap of his bag. Something that he did when he was nervous. Or when he lied to her. He used to do it when they were younger, except that he would pull at his pockets. "Yeah, I am. Sorry Tatsuki."

She eyed him but let it go. If he wanted to tell her something she'd have to wait until he came to her. That was how their friendship worked, or at least how it used to work. She sighed as she braced her arms behind her head as the continued on their way to school in the warm morning air.

"I wonder what club Chad is joining."

"Abarai-kun what brings you to school so early?"

Renji sat on the top of his desk which happened to be right onside of the Quincy's.

"I need a club to join."

"Ah, you wouldn't be interested in joining the sewing club would you?"

Renji fought back a cringe. He wouldn't be caught dead in the sewing club. But he couldn't just come out and tell the glasses wearing boy that. During their battles together they had formed a stronger bond, even if neither wanted to admit it.

"I don't think you'd want me in your club."

"If your fighting is like your sewing then I would say so."

He gritted his teeth before he could retaliate. He had to keep a low profile if he wanted to stay in the human world. He counted to ten before he spoke. A trick to calm him down that he picked up from Rukia.

"You know where Chad is?"

The Quincy used his long slender fingers to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"I don't think you'd be interested in joining the poetry club."

Renji blinked. The big guy was into poetry? That was just well, weird. But who was he to bash Chad for what he liked. He sighed. Now he'd have to go to desperate measures.

"You wouldn't have happened to see Ichigo yet?"

"You're living with me Renji. You miss me that much?"

The red head glared at the substitute shinigami. He was going to keep throwing that in his face. It isn't his fault his dad took it upon himself to turn his barely used study into a guest room for him. Isshin knew about his shinigami powers and he wouldn't have to work like a dog for Urahara. Renji just had to help in the clinic every once and a while and help Ichigo's sisters, Karin and Yuzu, around the house. Though the girls didn't need any of his help, they were more mature than he was on some levels.

"I wanted to ask you about something but since you're being a dick…"

Ichigo laughed at Renji's sour face.

"Come on, what did you need me for?"

When the red head didn't offer anything up Ishida informed Ichigo. "Renji needs a club to join."

Renji glared at him only to receive a cool blue stare.

"Really?"

Renji's death stare was cut short by a girl's voice. He turned his head to see that one of Ichigo's friends had followed the strawberry head in. He remembered her from her black pixie hair but her name slipped his mind. He would have tried to remember if he wasn't too busy being taken aback by the way she was looking at him. She wasn't staring at him like he was a piece of meat like most girls did. She was looking at him like she was trying to find out how much he was worth. That alone made him feel like squirming under her brown eyed gaze.

"I need a partner for the Martial arts club."

Renji didn't know what to stay and he still didn't know what to make of the girl.

"Renji you remember Arisawa Tatsuki."

Renji was finally pulled from his stupor by a smirking Ichigo, "Yeah, you're Inoue's friend."

He nodded but the Tatsuki girl didn't acknowledge his hello, "So are you interested?"

He huffed, she was all business. "You don't know if I can even fight."

"I know that whoever Ichigo hangs around with can handle themselves. So is it a yes or no?"

She sure was a quick fire. She shot her question at him before he could even think of anything to say. He did need to join and club and he could fight. It wasn't with his sword but it would give him the chance to work on his hand to hand combat.

"I guess it's a yes."

She nodded, "Then meet me outside of the gym after school."

He could only watch, dumbstruck, as she smiled at him then at the Quincy.

"Ishida."

The solemn boy nodded his head as she turned to Ichigo.

"I'll catch you later."

She walked out of the room but stopped and turned back around at last minute. "Don't be late Abarai."

The small group was quiet as they heard her footsteps fade away down the hall. Renji broke it first.

"I felt like she was inspecting me for a Captain's position."

Ichigo laughed, "that's Tatsuki."

"Heh."

Suddenly Ichigo's eyes were boring into his. "Don't screw this up for her. Martial arts is her way to college."

Renji immediately threw his defenses up, "Don't get your panties in a twist."

"Tatsuki is different from other girls Renji. She doesn't like asking for help. Take this seriously."

Renji fought the urge to swing at the spiky haired teen. He knew all about taking things seriously. Almost dying in Hueco Mundo for Orihime was a show for his seriousness. Committing treason to save the women he loved was another. The woman he loved. He sighed and shook his head, sitting down in his desk. The woman he loved was the reason why he was here. He knew for a long time now that his love was one sided. Slowly that love was shifted into brotherly love but it still hurt to think about it. He was sent here by his captain to basically keep an eye on Rukia. Byakuya was wary of the substitute shinigami. Any brother would be wary of the man that had stolen his beloved sister's heart. But Renji couldn't fault Ichigo for it. He made Rukia happy. And for Renji, that was enough.

He slid down in his desk and watched as the rest of the students poured into class before the teacher. Starting school off with a heavy heart wasn't exactly how he pictured his second year of human high school but at least he had joined a club.