Tears of the Clueless

Things... Just Got A Wee Bit More Complicated.

Renji fell into step with me. "So, you got your exam score back today, eh?"

I gave a slight nod, blushing as I remembered when he helped me study.

"How'd you do?" He asked curiously.

I looked down, blushing. "Full marks..."

"Awesome!" He said, patting my head. "Great job, Ali!"

I blushed brighter. "Th-Thanks."

"Yeah! Hey, you're more quiet than usual... I bet I know what you're thinking."

I looked up so fast I'm amazed I'm whiplash-free. "Y-You do?!"

"Mhm," he said with a serious nod. My heart thundered in my ears and I bet I resembled a thermometer the way I turned red from my toes up to my hairline. "You're nervous because... you think you're in trouble!"

I nearly cried in relief. "Yeah, that's it."

He grinned. "I knew it! My instincts never fail me, ya know! But hey, don't worry, you haven't done anything wrong." He clapped a hand on my shoulder and crouched so his face was level with and right beside my own. I blushed so hard I'm surprised the side of his face isn't burnt.

He gave my shoulder a couple pats before we stopped in front of the familiar meeting room doors, surrounded by people that looked at me curiously.

"These are all the fukutaichos of the Thirteen squads, but you can be introduced later," Renji said, knocking on the doors, which swung open.

All the captains were standing in two rows, leaving a kind of hallway for me to enter into, and Yama-Sama sat at the end of the lineups.

"Alice Heitsu," he said in his gravelly voice. "Step forward."

I did so and the doors shut behind me. That didn't exactly help my nerves.

"Y-You wished to see me, sir?" I asked, bowing quickly. When I straightened, I caught sight of Byakuya. His facial expression was gentle, like when I first ran into him. And... Was that the thinnest of smiles touching his lips?

"Yes," Yama-Sama said, snapping my attention back to him. "Yesterday, you took an exam that covered years of information, and got full marks. Mind explaining?"

I blinked. "Oh, well, sir, I have a photographic memory, and I'm a fast reader. So I just read all the textbooks the night before the test, sir."

"Impressive," he said, causing me to blush and stare at my feet.

"Th-Thank you, sir..."

He hummed. "So you've learned all there is to learn about being a shinigami?"

I nodded once. "Yes, sir..."

"Do you know how to use your zanpakuto?"

I shook my head. "No, sir..."

He paused to think. "You can be taught. You will train for the next month to use your shinigami powers, and should you succeed, you will be assigned to a squad."

My eyes widened.

Already? Has that ever been done so fast before?

I bowed. "Yes, sir. Do I continue to go to the academy?"

Please say no. Please say no. Please say no. Please say no. Please say no. Please say no. Please say no.

"No."

YES!

"You will be trained by.... Byakuya Kuchiki."

I must have turned as red as a tomato as I caught Byakuya's eye. The amusement was back, along with something else. Interest? No, that's impossible.

"Y-Yes sir..." I nodded.

"Very good. You are all dismissed!"

I wonder what the reason was for the other captains to be here..... Eh, intimidation probably.

I wasn't exactly sure what to do, so I stayed put as the captains began exiting.

Jushiro gave me an encouraging smile as he passed with a tall brunette man in a pink kimono, who pat me on the shoulder.

Byakuya appeared at my side. "Are you ready?"

He looked down at me and I stared up at him. His lips twitched and the amusement in his eyes grew as I nodded a bit too quickly and had to blink to refocus.

"Yes, Byakuya....-taicho," I said, not used to the way those darn honorifics rolled off my tongue.

Something flashed in his eyes, overpowering the amusement and mystery glint for only a moment before disappearing again.

"Then let us go," he said, gently placing his hand on my shoulder. "You'll be moving into the squad 6 barracks for the next month."