School Stinks [Bleach Fanfic]

This Stinks

 Five: Write a chapter in which a character learns something unexpected.

 Toshiro's hands played with the string in his hand making various shapes from the loop. His small mouth pushed together as his focus remained on the string in his hand and ignored everything else around him. A soft breeze blew through the window bringing with it a calming sent. He didn't notice Rangiku let out a disgruntled sound from having to do the paperwork and instead kept his focus on the string.

A hand gently brushed a strand of hair away from his forehead indicating she had moved from the desk to kneeling beside the couch he was lying on. "Hey? Why don't we go and do something together? Let's get you out of this stuffy office. The way you're acting worries me."

Toshiro's fingers stopped maneuvering the string and his mouth pushed deeper into a frown. Prior to the war with the Quincies he would have pushed her hand away and have chewed the strawberry haired woman out for treating him like a child as if she was his mother. "It doesn't feel bad, being comforted like this. Still... I don't want to go and do something."

The child taicho went back to playing with his loop made of string. "Taicho?" Despite the fact she was trying to get his attention he continued to play the string games. "I'm going to the first division now to talk to the head captain Kyraku and Ukitake Taicho. Please behave yourself. If someone tells you that you need to eat, then go ahead and eat. I'll see you when you get back."

How much time passed he honestly did not know, but the door slid back open and a trey was set down on the table next to him. "You should eat Hitsugaya Taicho. You've lost a lot of weight."

More time passed and he heard Rangiku's voice indicating she was back. "What happened to eating your food?" The woman sat on the floor next to him and brushed his white hair away from his forehead. "I need to back your bags. You and I are being sent on a mission to the world of the living."

Toshiro sat up while still fiddling with the string in his hands while swinging his feet off the couch. "What is the mission?"

"Could you please look me in the eye Taicho so I know you're paying attention?"

"She knows I hate looking people in the eye."

He still complied and when he did she explained their mission to him. "You and I are tasked with taking a survey of the class Kurosaki's sisters are in to try and figure out which ones have spiritual pressure and which ones can see Shinigami. You're going to be added as a student in their class for a week or so."

Two bright teal eyes widened, a look of horror spreading across the child's face. "In case of an emergency."

"That's not..." Toshiro looked at the ground, swallowing as he did so.

"Do you want me to pack your bag for you?" When he didn't reply she got up and left, speaking over her shoulder as she did so. "I'll come back to get you."

"Why? I've already graduated from Soul Reaper academy. Pretending to be a high school student was bad enough. I don't like this." This eyes narrowed as his zampaktuo spirit suddenly lectured him about maturity.

Rangiku got back with two bags swung over her shoulder and touched his lightly to get his attention. "Time to go." The corner of his mouth twisted up slightly wishing there was some way to escape all of this. "I'm glad there is life in your eyes again."

"Yeah, well... I think being turned into a zombie and tortured by a mad scientist would do that to a person, don't ya think?" Toshiro folded his arms across his chest and followed the woman. "Come on... I've never been able to get along with people of similar age. It's not that I don't try hard enough. Social interactions simply aren't my strong point, particularly when I have to deal with the immaturity of my age group."