Bleach 1. Keeping a Self Promise

_Disclaimer – I do not own Bleach. This fanfic is a sequel to Softly Snowing. The fanfics focus more on OC characters then canon characters. While it wouldn't be a bad idea to read the first fanfic, I'll hopefully set it up in the first chapter so that the reader doesn't have too._

**Softly Snowing II  
_Academy Years_  
**_~Keeping a Self Promise~_

Kamoku Hana glanced out of her house, her brown eyes taking in the snow melting on the ground. She stepped out, slipping on her sandals and headed tout, being careful not to step in potential mud holes. Today came yet another day to head off towards school, yet her mind focused on something else. The events happened roughly forty years ago, but in truth she lost track of the time as any one did in the Rukongai.

Walking through the small village located in the first district of Junrinan. She wore a kimono died pink, no elaborate design on said kimono. She found herself ready for spring, but also ready for another adventure. No, she was finally ready for an adventure that she had been planning for over that long period of time to take place. Stepping through the streets, she knew she would be talking to the small school teacher about her plans.

As she passed by the pub, she could swear she could hear her brother Nashini, the eldest in the family yelling drunkenly about something. She really did not wish to know, simply because her brother ended up being a pain to deal with when he was in this state of mind. It also came about that his bravado during such times tended to mean he let something slip about someone which would later on cause of fight of some kind.

As she walked, she passed by where another of her brothers sat working in a stall as an apprentice to the local candy maker. This ended up bringing in quite a bit of money to the family, something her friends were a little jealous of. Her brother waved to her as she passed and the shop owner waved her over. "Hana-chan! Are you off to school today."

At that, the prepubescent female walked over, tripping in her sandals and then standing up. She smiled at the man. "Yes... I am off to school today."

"Your sister..." the man turned to Shirezu, smiling as he did so. "Your sister will make a lovely bride some day."

"She's no different from the other girls." The middle male child shook his head at this statement. "She's got stiff competition from the other girls."

"I hear though, the Terunori boy has his eyes set on your sister." The man let out a booming laugh.

"I don't think it is polite to talk about marriage prospects in front of the females." Her brother shook his head. "Pay him no mind."

"Last time I checked, Mitsuyo-chan and Ren-chan both have their hearts set on Terunori-san." Hana titled her head.

"So, you're being nice to your two friends?" The man laughed aloud. "You are such a sweet heart, Hana-chan." He then pulled out two bags of candy and tossed them to Hana. "Here is a treat for you."

"You won't make money if you give away treats constantly to the children." Her brother sighed.

"I only give out a few a day. And anyways, I always have the Shiba clan members checking out my business and buying up loads of candy, among other people else where. My candy is popular. Enough said." The man then nodded his head at Hana. "You give the other bag to Hita. Shirezu's worried due to his twin being in one of his darker moods again."

"Hita-chan?" Hana blinked twice. "When I'm around him, he always is positive."

"Don't worry about what he says. Get yourself to school so you don't upset sensei with your being late." Her brother stated. Shirezu then turned to the man he was apprenticed to and said something, the look on his face saying he was in fact upset about something. Hana simply continued on her way, finally coming to the classroom, a one room school building.

Stepping up, she found that she tripped on the stairs, hitting her knee hard on the wooden floor. She simply though stood up and walked over to her seat, ready to work on the daily lessons. Ren and Mitsuyo hurried over her, using her as middle ground for their conversation regarding a certain boy they both liked. Hana in truth found herself still clueless about certain things.

"I love how his blue eyes are like the sky." Mitsuyo piped up, a smile plastered on her face as she let out a giggle for some reason or another. "That is the best part."

"No it isn't. You're wrong." Ren muttered. "The best part is his hair. I'ts got a lovely curl too it."

This of course started an argument, which caused both to turn to Hana. "What do _you _think is the best thing about him?"

At this, Hana blinked a couple of times and she paused to think for a bit of time. In truth, she couldn't think of anything nice about said boy, due to the fact that he tended to boast about his achievements when he was around her. She also didn't see what the point about talking about his looks were either, she simply lacked interest in him. She however finally spoke up. "He thinks he's best at everything."

At that, the other two girls went off, agreeing with each other again. Ren spoke up first. "Well, yes. I forgot that he was the best at everything he does."

"Soccer, academics... and he's a gentleman." Both girls suddenly batted their eyelids, letting out a deep sigh as they clutched their hearts, not acting at all lady like about the matter.

"I said he _thinks _he's the best at everything he does." Hana shook her head in dismay due to the fact that her two friends simply didn't listen to her."

This time though, they did listen. Mitsuyo nodded her head. "You're right Hana. Inaba-kun isn't as smart as you."

"You get the top praises from the teacher." Ren smiled at her friend. "Nobody we know of could do better then you."

At that, Hana paused for a few seconds. "I can think of someone. Actually, I've seen him play soccer once and he is actually better then Inaba-kun."

"Who?" Ren asked.

Mitsuyo let out a laugh. "This wouldn't happen to be Shirezu onii-san would it?"

"No." The brown haired female then said it outright. "I was thinking of Hitsugaya Toshiro."

"Hitsugaya..." The red head of the two paused, her eyes blinking.

"You know." Mitsuyo sighed, her finger reaching up to curl her hair. "That white haired brat that used to hang around here before Hinamori Momo went off to the academy. Whatever happened to him?"

"I heard he joined he academy." Hana stated, smiling at the two.

"Oh, come on." Ren let out a laugh. "I can't believe that he of all people would end up in the academy." They were about to say something more, but the teacher then came in. Ren whispered towards her. "No way that he could be better at soccer then Inaba-kun. Everyone talks about how dumb he was. He didn't want to be anyone's friends, so why even bother thinking about him." The blond nodded her head in agreement. Hana choose to disagree.

**ƸΨƷ**

Eventually, the time for a break for lunch came and the teacher dismissed the students out into the yard around the small school house, though in truth there really was no place for any of the children to play without becoming messy, however, the smaller ones didn't care. Hana normally would have gone and sat with the older girls, with not many being older then her now, however, she needed to speak to her teacher about something.

She remembered back in her head how she had never really spoken much to Hitsugaya Toshiro, only to have the one time she had felt the fear of talking to him going away, and the chance to ask him to be her friend suddenly turn on her when she found out from his granny he had joined the academy and became a shinigami.

Mentally she kicked herself for not having spoken to him about said things sooner, however, she decided rather quickly that instead of regretting what she did, she would make it so that she could eventually ask him to be her friend. This meant though, going to the academy for testing. She couldn't help but bite her lip as a lot of feelings welled up in her chest.

The female teacher motioned her to come. "You wished to speak to me about something?"

"I am wanting to join the academy." Hana stated.

The teacher frowned at this, then spoke up. "I personally think your temperament is wrong."

"I really want to go though." The female stated.

"This seems kind of strange coming from you." The teacher took a deep breath. "The best way to put it is, you have spiritual pressure, but you've ignored all conversation about the academy up until now. You've shown no interest. Is there some reason you want to join? I mean, you aren't wanting to join because you want the power and prestige. I'll also say you don't need to join due to having trouble controlling your reiatsu."

"Some people aren't able to control their rietsu?" Hana blinked a couple of times. "I've never heard of that before."

"I lost one students for that reason, you might say." The teacher let out a small laugh. "They've done quite well for themselves though, so I can't help but be proud as their sensai. What is your reason for wanting to join?"

Hana's voice dropped to a whisper. "I know that Hitsugaya Toshiro went and joined the academy and the only way I'll be able to see him again and ask him to be my friend is if I join the academy."

"Hitsugaya Tai... Toshiro?" The sensei paused. "Well, the irony of that and this conversation. I wouldn't go about telling people that the reason you are joining is because of him. Though... this wouldn't happen to be because you've heard of what happened to him?"

"He didn't get hurt did he?" Hana's mouth twisted up, not wanting to hear that such a thing had occurred.

"No... it's something else that Hinamori and he asked me not to talk about to the other villagers. I think it goes back to the fact he feels he is disliked here... among other things." The teacher shook her head. "You honestly want to be that child's friend?"

"He didn't seem like a mean and cruel person like everyone made him out to be." Hana let out a laugh.

"I have to wonder if you really would be able to make friends with him. He is not easy to get along with." The teacher stated, placing a hand on her chin.

"You mean you think like the villagers that there is something wrong with him?" The small female frowned at this.

"No. It's just that he doesn't make friends easily and he doesn't socialize well with others. It isn't that he is mean, or cruel... it is more of he keeps to himself and... well, that is a private matter I am sure he wouldn't want me talking to you about."

"I still want to try." Hana stated. "I am going to the testing in a weeks time and I really need something to tell my parents. They won't accept that I am going after him. They'll think I'm crazy. Mitsuyo-chan and Ren-chan think I am crazy enough saying he did go and join te academy."

"Well, here is an idea." The teacher still seemed rather shaken about the prospect.

**ƸΨƷ**

After class, Hana walked back to her home and found Hita, Shirezu's twin, sitting in the doorway. She pulled out the small bag of candy and handed it too him. She then sat down on the other side of him. "I want to tell you first, and tell you the whole story before I even tell mama and papa, along with Shirizu and Nashini."

"It isn't a marriage proposal?" Hita asked, giving her a weak smile, digging into the bag of candy. "What I wouldn't give Hana, to have a chance to have the freedom the rest of you have. Mother and father still think I'm sickly."

"Well, aren't you?" The small female leaned against the door-frame. "And no. It isn't a marriage proposal. I don't see why anyone would be interested in me. I decided I am going to be joining the academy, Hita."

At that, her brother's face paled. "So you're leaving me, us?"

"I'll come back during break just like Hinamori-san did." Hana titled her head as her brother winced at hearing that name. "It's my turn to do something with my life. I want to be useful too."

"That isn't what my problem is. Do you even understand how dangerous being a shinigami is?" Hita glanced at the top of the door-frame.

"You don't think I'm cut out for being one, do you?" The small female turned pouting.

"You're a pacifist. Not as much as I am, as you can stand up to Nashini, unlike myself. However... Hana, you don't like hurting people." Her brother reached out and ruffled the top of her brown hair.

"I've never had reason to hurt someone." The small female stated firmly. "I know that it isn't going to be easy, but... the thing is." At that, she paused, and then she spoke up. "Don't tell mother and father, but I want to go to the academy so I can meet up with Toshiro-kun again."

"You happen to like him, don't you... like I like Hinamori-san." Hita leaned forward.

"Yeah, I want to be friends with him. I feel guilty for some reason because I waited so long to ask him to be friends, and then he was gone. Promise you won't tell?" Hana smiled sweetly at him.

"Anything for my dear sister." Hita smiled. He then waited with her for the rest of the family to return. However, something about her brother seemed off. Her mother began to prepare the food, which was needed by both Hana and Hita as they had reiatsu, though their parents mistook her brother's need as some sort of illness.

Nashini came home, rather drunk, dropping his coin onto the table, only to have his father speak up. "You didn't put all of it down, did you? How much did you spend on sake?"

"I'm the one who earned the money." The male stated. Shirezu came in then just as their mother placed the food on the table.

"Terunori-san stopped by the stall asking how you were doing, Hana." Her brother sat down at the table and they said thanks for the food.

Hana reached out for a small piece of food. "I don't understand why. We see each other during school."

"But for how long. You and the others your age are around the age that you are going to start thinking about starting your own lives, finding a trade if possible, or getting married." Her father stated, continuing to eat.

"Terunori-san would possibly be one of the best catches." Her mother had a dreamy look in her eyes. "His family is connected."

"Actually, I was thinking of joining the academy." Hana stated, the bold statement catching her parents off guard, though her brothers had become used to her being more outspoken.

Despite knowing her to be more outspoken, Nashini spoke up. "You... become a shinigami. As if."

"I have reiatsu." Hana stated firmly. "Plus, I have more options when it comes to marriage if I go through the academy, right? Even more if I am able to become a shinigami?"

"Yes... yes. Whore yourself out like that Hinamori girl." The eldest spoke out. "Being a shinigami is mans business, not that of a girl."

At that, Hita got up and left the table. "I don't feel good, so I am going to go lie down."

The head of the family though had Kurt words for his son. "There are a great deal of female shinigami who happen to be well thought of. It is not only the business of men. Also, while that _boy _that lived with Hinamori is likely not to amount to anything, Word has it she has really amounted to something. So do not speak ill of her."

"Still..." Shirezu spoke up, concern in his voice. "Becoming a shinigami... there is a chance something will happen to you before you do get married. What then?"

At that, Hana's mother spoke up, her voice soft. "Simply having a shinigami from our family would be something to be proud of, so I don't see a problem with it. If Hana can make it, she can make it. I wish her luck with the tests that are coming up." At that, the small female smiled, things going the way she wanted them too.


	2. Testing for Entrance

**Softly Snowing II  
_Academy Years_  
**_~Testing for Entrance~_

Upon receiving approval from her parents, Hana found her excitement about joining the academy joining. She now simply had to wait for the day that the testing would be done. She figured she would do well as she in truth studied written word quite a bit and had reiatsu. She had no clue what would be involved in the test.

The next day she walked to the small school house with a smile on her face. Without a doubt, nothing could dampen her spirits. She then slipped into the classroom where Ren was already sitting, watching a certain male from her desk, not making a move to approach the male. Hana slipped in and sat down next to her.

At that, her red headed friend glanced up. "You seem in a good mood, Hana-chan."

"I got good news." The small female smiled. She pulled out her tablet that she used during class and would likely be handing over to the teacher soon as she was entered into the academy.

Ren's eyes became slightly dull as she glanced over at Terunori Inaba. "A guy didn't stop and talk to you yesterday, did they?"

"No." Hana blinked a couple of times. "Why would a boy want to talk to me about anything? Truth of the matter is, I don't see why any guy would want to talk to me." Of course, her mind drifted back to the day that she has spoken to Toshiro. He had flat out told her, until she garnered more confidence in herself to hold off talking to him.

"What do you mean by that?" The female frowned, glancing at the particular boy again, just as Mitsuyo came into the room and sat down next to them.

"Hana, please tell me that Inaba-kun didn't speak with you yesterday." The blond also glanced over at said person, her lips pushed together tightly.

Hana shook her head. "I didn't speak to him at all. Shirezu nii-san did, but I don't understand why, if he wanted to ask me how I was doing, how come he didn't just come ask me during class."

At that, Mitsuyo let out a laugh. "You miss a lot of things, don't you Hana-chan."

As the brown haired female blinked her eyes at her two friend, Ren spoke up. "That's the only way I would want her to be. Anyways, what were you going to say about good news, if it isn't about him talking to you."

"I don't see what the big deal about him talking to me is. He's just a boy, right" However, Hana moved onto what she had planned on bringing up. "I'm going to be taking the test to join the shinigami academy."

"You mean... like how Hinamori-san went and joined the academy ever so long ago?" Mitsuyo frowned at this, then shook her head. "You don't seem the type to join, but then neither did she."

"This means we're going to be saying good-bye?" Ren pouted at this, her mouth folding up.

The blonde female shook her head. "She hasn't passed the test yet." She then turned to Hana. "So, what is the reason that you wish to join the academy?"

"I told my mother and father that it is so I can have a better marriage prospect. However, there is someone I sort of look up to that's gone to be a shinigami." Hana smiled at her two friends.

"You mean Hinamori-san. She is definitely someone to look up to. She's sweet, kind, nice... not to mention so strong. All the older males in our community like her." Mitsuyo stopped and thought about what was going on. "I wonder if I should try joining the academy too."

"Do you even have reiatsu?" Ren asked. "I don't know if I have it or not."

"I don't either." The blonde frowned at this. "Hana, do you know if you have rietsu or not?"

"I actually do have a small amount." The female smiled at the two girls, pleased with herself for something.

**ƸΨƷ**

After class, Hana walked home, still avoiding the mud puddles formed by the melting snow. She stepped lightly across the ground, only to jump as someone came up beside her. "Is it true that you plan on joining the Soul Reaper academy?"

At that, she stumbled and fell, the hem of her kimono getting mud splattered onto it, along with her left sandal and sock. At that, she turned to see the brown haired mail watching her carefully. "Ahh... Terunori-san. It is good to speak with you, though I think Mitsuyo-chan and Ren-chan would like you to speak to them instead."

"Do you understand why they want that?" The boy watched her carefully. Hana simply shook her head. "You miss things a lot, don't you. Why don't you get what is going on around you?"

"I don't know." Hana said, smiling at the boy. "Everyone say that I miss things, but no one has ever told me what it is that I happen to be missing."

"I'll ask again. Is it true that you plan on joining the Soul Reaper academy?" The male started to follow her back home.

"Yes. It is true." The female continued to simply smile.

"You don't have to join the academy, you know." Terunori spoke up. "I am sure there is someone in this village who would offer your parents to marry you."

Hana paused at this, then turned to him. "It really isn't just about being a better marriage prospect. This is about doing something for myself. I have something I wish to do."

"But you don't know if you'll be able to enter the academy. What if you fail the test Hana?" The boy watched her, concern seemingly showing on his face.

"I'll just keep taking the test until I do pass. This is something I really want, something I feel I need to do. I've felt this way for many years." The female then began continuing her way homeward.

The boy however spoke up again. "You shouldn't go to the testing site alone, you know."

"Why ever not?" Hana blinked as she turned to the male, a bit taken aback by his demeanor.

"There are some people in this world who are not that nice, nor as nice as they seem." Terunori pushed further. "It basically isn't safe. I'll go with you."

"It isn't that dangerous." The female shook her head. "You don't have to go out of your way to do this for me either."

**ƸΨƷ**

Upon discussing what the young man had told her without really saying who it was who mentioned it, Shirezu decided to take the day off and take Hana to the examination, which would be held in big halls in the first district, in the main village right outside of each of the gates. Thus he was escorting her when they came across Terunori by the entrance.

Her brother shook his head. "You wouldn't happen to be waiting here to escort my young sister to the testing because you want to protect her from the dangers on the road."

"That has nothing to do with it." The boy spattered out his words. "I am going to be going and taking the test too! I thought that since we were both going, we could walk together."

"Well, I am glad I came, as there is already the sign of something dangerous for my little sister." Shirezu hissed out, not at all pleased with the young man's behavior. However, Hana simply turned between the two, confusion written all over her face, not sure why neither one seemed pleased with the other.

The walk was in truth long and Hana felt her feet grow sore. However, this became overwritten due to the fact that she, for the first time in her life, was going somewhere outside the small village. She stepped after her brother, following him while Inaba walked behind her, rather displeased that his plan of action wasn't working.

And then they came to the village that lay just outside of their gate and Hana's eyes went wide, as did Terunori's. Never before had they seen such a place. The buildings were old time Japanese, yes... but they were more elaborate then their small village and built closer together. There were also tons of people milling around, running about.

An entire market place stood in the middle where people would barter and buy goods. Some people haggled over the price of a store, while other people haggled over food. Terunori spoke up at that point. "Why aren't they haggling for water? I remember hearing about how the markets haggle for fresh water and such."

"The water in the first district is clean and near by the market, so there is no need to haggle for such things here. The place that they sell water are in the areas where the water has some contamination problems, or further up where the people live to far away from water. It's this way in this area because of the Shiba clans influence."

"Do you mean the noble family?" Inaba shook his head at this, confusion continuing. "I thought the noble families that lived in the Rukongai liked to take advantage of the people who are supposed to live here."

"Some do, but not the Shiba clan." Shirezu had a look of pride. "They feel it is their job to protect the people and help them prosper as much as possible. Of course, Shiba Ganju is anti-shinigami and would disrupt the testing if he had the chance, but his older sister puts her foot down on that matter and says if she ever gets word about him doing such a thing, he'll rue ever doing it. He's always picking fights with shinigami."

"But shinigami aren't bad people." Hana spoke up at this time. "Hinamori-san became one."

"He's just miffed due to the death of his older brother. Everyone knows that Shiba Kaien used to be a fukutaicho of the Gotei Thirteen. Everyone talked about it a lot around here, as the noble family raised their kids here so that they could come to know the people. However, when he and his wife died, they suddenly disliked shinigami. Nobody knows why though."

At that, they arrived at the test hall and her brother nodded his head. "Either I will be outside the hall when you finish Hana, or I will be in the market doing some trading and bartering."

At that, the two young ones entered the testing hall, receiving numbers and heading to sit down at their spots. Hana was at the end of her row, so the two ended up not sitting with each other as Terunori had to move onto the next row. For some reason he found himself rather displeased with this. The testing began about half an hour later.

At that point, Hana found the test was not as easy as she thought it would be. There was a lot of material she got in the written part, yes, but truth of the matter was, after the written part, she found herself embarrassed by the testing of reiatsu levels as there were some who had much higher levels then her, not to mention she knew nothing about fighting.

Upon finishing, she found that her older brother was in fact not outside and she headed to the market area, with Inaba grumbling about how in truth the place wasn't safe for her to be wandering around alone. He also grumbled at the fact that her brother had come with her for the reason of protecting her, only to leave and not protect her later on.

They quickly found where her brother was and Hana called out to him. "Shirezu! We finished at the testing hall!"

However, as she yelled this, there came a sudden commotion from behind her, a loud rumbling sound almost like a stampede. Both young ones turned just in time to see a man riding a boar come to a screeching halt while another person on a boar came crashing into one of the stalls, a stall right next to Hana.

At that, the stall began to fall right towards Hana. She froze, along with Terunori just as her brother yelled out in fright. However, the man on the boar quickly got off and shoved Terunori to the side and used his body to protect Hana from the falling debris. "Are you all right little lady?" The man stated, pushing the debris off of himself.

At tat, Shirezu hurried over, his face contorted with a level of fear Hana never had seen on his face before. He called out her name and asked if she was all right, to which one of the men who was also riding a boar spoke up. "If you're supposed to be watching her, why is her aniki away from her?"

"I was at the big hall taking a test." Hana stated, to which her brother said her name, glancing warily at the man who was now dusting her off.

"Ahh... you seem to be too sweet to become a shinigami though." The man smiled at her.

"Who are you?" Terunori stated, is eyes narrowing as he watched the man touch Hana, despite it being in a kindly manner.

The man then went off on speal, revealing that he was in fact Ganju of the Shiba clan. When he came to self proclaimed Shinigami hater, the man paused for a few seconds, then got a wacky smile on his face. "Of course, if you became a shinigami I wouldn't hate you. That would be just wrong." However, after that, Ganju turned to her brother. "Don't you think her personality doesn't fit being a shinigami though?"

Shirezu's mouth simply twitched, finding himself rather annoyed at having run into the man. It wasn't a dislike of said person, but more like Ganju was an annoying fly that needed to be swatted away and squished so it was less bothersome. Han though pointed at the busty males face. "What is that?"

At that, Ganju pulled on a device so that it covered his eyes with a circle that had a clear item in it. "These? This happens to be my goggles. I use them when I ride, so that I won't get sand in my eyes."

At that, Inaba turned towards the boards, disdain written all over his face. "Who in their right minds rides boars. And why is one of those guys wearing that thing, whatever it is?"

"What is that thing on his back?" Hana asked, staring at the rather large device.

"That is a clock." Ganju stated. "We use it so that we aren't late getting home. Sis gets mad when we are."

"In other words you have a curfew of sorts." Shirezu muttered. He then grabbed Hana's hand. "We need to be heading back home. I've got what I needed to get done in the market finished."

"All right." Hana stated firmly, reaching out to pat the boar on the nose. As she walked away, waving at the men, Ganju called out that the boar's name was Bonnie.

**ƸΨƷ**

Until she got her test results, Hana decided to continue attentding school, waiting for them to come. She then saw her teacher with a bundled package and after classes, the teacher spoke for her to come see her. Terunori hung back, leaning on the doorway as the teacher handed Hana the package. "Congratulations on getting into the academy, Hana-chan."

"What about me?" Terunori asked suddenly.

At that, the small female glanced back at him. "Yes. He took the test too."

"Actually, he didn't pass. He can try again after a bit of time has passed, but he isn't ready to join." The teacher smiled at Hana. "You are actually in one of the lower classes Hana as while your test score was passing, it was still very low."

"But still, I got into the academy?" Hana smiled at the teacher, unwrapping the package to reveal two white uniform trimmed in red along with a satchel for carrying things in. She hugged it to herself then hurried to the door, excited at having gotten in on her first try. As she left, she heard some of the boy's who also stayed behind telling Inaba that it served him right and now he had to pick one of the other girls.

Arriving at the house, she found Hita sitting in the sunshine. She smiled at him, then showed him her uniform. "I got in!"

"You did?" Her brother had a smile on his face, but there was also a touch of saddens there. "Why don't you go inside and change into it so that you can surprise mother and father when they get home. To have an academy student, they will be so proud." And at that, Hana hurried into the room.


	3. Year One (Part One)

**Softly Snowing II  
_Academy Years_  
**_~Year One (Part One)~_

The first day of classes approached quickly and Hana's excitement grew. Both Mitsuyo and Ren congratulated Hana upon her entry into the academy and even came over to the Kamoku household to see her uniform for school. Terunori however looked glum and sulked at his desk, the other boys muttering something about how that was a sign of something, which caused his mood to darken.

On the day of class, she changed into her uniform, her mother straightening it out so that she could head to the academy while her brothers watched. Hita had a glazed look on his face, almost as if he felt like he was losing something, while the eldest glared at her and Shirezu simply acted like this was not a big deal.

She then hurried out of the house, her sandals kicking up dust as she went, the cool spring air blowing in her face. She walked first towards the place that she happened to take her test and then she walked towards where someone pointed out the main gate to her. As she walked along, she didn't think about her surroundings.

She then startled, jumping out of her skin nearly as a voice came from above her. "Have a good day at the academy." At that, her brown eyes glanced up and saw a rather huge Shinigami looking down at her, a red cap upon her head. Her eyes went wide taking him in and he scratched his head rather sheepishly. "Sorry... I am Ikkanzaka Jidanbo, guardian of this gate. I also like to greet the academy students."

At that, the small girl timidly bowed to the man. "Hana Kam... Kamoku Hana."

At her response, the man suddenly frowned. "What is a small, timid thing like you doing entering the academy? You jump out of your skin way to easily."

"I... there is someone I want to follow..." Hana's words poored out. She then blinked. "But my parents think it has to do with something else... being better suited for marriage... something like that."

"I don't see why anyone should be forced into marriage if they don't want to. They should marry because they are in love. That is so special." The huge man smiled down at her, only to have her blink in confusion. He scratched his head again. "I guess those in the Rukongai are behind the times when it comes to newer traditions and such. It isn't just about... you know, I really can't explain it."

"Then why say it. You only serve to confuse me." The small girl pouted, but didn't cross her arms.

"Well... oh. The someone you are following must be someone special if you are wanting to join for that person." Jindanbo smiled at the female. "What's this young man's name?"

"How did you know it is a guy?" Hana asked, curiosity spreading on her face.

"Well..." Ikkanzaka smiled, scratching his head again. "I guess it goes back to what I said before, though truth is I don't really understand it myself."

"Oh..." The Kamoku girl pushed her hands behind her back. "Don't tell anyone, but it is Toshiro-kun that I am following."

"As in Hitsugaya Toshiro?" The man blinked a couple of times, then smiled big. "I know him. That kid is special. Very special, so I understand why anyone would want to follow him. He and I are good friends. I pride myself as being one of the few he considered a friend back when he was still living in the Rukongai."

"Lucky..." Hana pouted rocking on her heals.

"Yeah! Very lucky!" The giant then paused. "You weren't a friend then."

"I wanted to be, but I never got to talk to him about that like I wanted to. That's why I've got to go through the academy, so I can talk to him again and tell him I want to be friends." Her statement caused the giant to smile.

"I am glad. Very glad of that!" A big finger then pushed her from beind. "You'd best be running along so you aren't late."

**ƸΨƷ**

If Hana thought the village right outside of the gate was dense with people, inside had a greater amount of people traveling back and forth. She saw a good deal of shinigami moving about, but also nobles whose clothing made her feel dirty, despite the fact she wore a clean academy uniform instead of her kimono that was starting to wear thin do to age. Sure, hers was pretty, but not as pretty as some of the ones she now saw.

Nervously she worked her way through the crowd, asking every so often for directions. She preferred asking the Shinigami, despite the fact that she found them intimidating to speak too. This was likely due to the fact that the nobles seemed to hold themselves above her and seemed inapproachable. She also was told not to talk to strangers by her family, and despite the shinigami being strangers, they were there to uphold the piece.

Upon getting to the academy, she blinked a couple of times, finding that the place was vast, an imminence object was in the center squirting out water into the air. Everything inside the Seireitei caused her small home to pale in comparison. She stepped along, looking for her class, only to have an older student push her suddenly from behind.

"Your class, first year, is this way." The male stated, pushing her towards a particular doorway, shoving her into the room. Hana stood there, only to find her hand grabbed by another females and dragged over to the table.

"You look cute, so you'll make a good friend. I was hoping that there would be a female close to my age in the advanced class." The girl also had brown hair, but her eyes were a vivid blue. "My name is Hamano Ayumu."

"Kamoku Hana..." The small female pulled away slightly, but Ayumu insisted on pulling the female towards a seating area, an avast partial bowl pit... the best way Hana thought to describe it. "But I'm not..."

Ayumu proceeded to tell Hana all about herself, how she came from the Northern area of the Rukongai, from the forth district. She grew up in a family comprised of various other souls who came from the living world, having lost their regular families. Hana noticed when she had come in that a good deal of students had come in and wondered if she could get out so she wouldn't be late to her own class.

However, a man stepped into the room and barked out a command. "I am Onabara Gengoro, teacher of the entering class, Class 1. Since you are in this class, that means that you happened to achieve the best grades on the test we happened to give you. As always, we expect a lot of class number one. We expect you to learn faster then the other students and will not be surprised if you reach seated material."

He then called out their names and Hana shrunk back in her seat wanting to escape. However, Ayumu noticed that her name wasn't called. "Sir... I think you forgot someone."

"And that would be?" the man raised his head, scanning the list. "I don't believe I forgot someone as it seems my list says everyone is here."

"You forgot Kamoku Hana. She's sitting right here." The other female spoke up.

"I don't have such a name on my list." The man pushed on his glasses. "Wish to explain yourself?"

At that, Hana stood up straight, completely nervous. "I was pushed into the class by an older person saying it was my class and I got lost."

At that, the teacher stared at her, his jaw dropping, one eye twitching while quite a few of the other students burst out laughing. Ayumu blinked a couple of times. "You know Hana, you could have told me..."

At that the teacher motioned for Hana to follow after him, an exasperated look on his face. "Why is it that something seems to happen every year I get the first years. Only once did something interesting happen in a year when I wasn't teaching first years." She heard Onabara sensei mutter. Glancing back and Ayumu, Hana felt a deep pain as the other girl's face twisted up in what she figured to be a hurt expression.

The man continued on his way, leading her to her correct classroom and rapped on the door, so that another person commented about coming in. The other teacher blinked a couple of times and then Onabara sensei spoke up. "One of your students became lost."

"You seem exasperated." The other teacher shook their head. She nodded her head to the seats, where some of the other students giggled at the fact that Hana came in late.

"It's my fault. Another students pushed me into his classroom and I got lost." The small female spoke up, getting more laughs from the students.

"You wonder why I am exasperated? Something happens every six years when I get a new class to headroom." The man stated, turning to leave.

The woman chuckled at Hana. "Don't mind him. He thrives on having special students who are different and wouldn't have it any other way. I think he's more miffed due to the fact that this year he didn't get a student that stood out even among the advanced students as being different. Thirty to forty years ago, he got a whole bunch."

At that, Hana meekly went and sat down, despite being told that things were all right by this female teacher. She sat down next to another female, to shy to say hello or even look the girl in the face. "I wonder though, if a special student interrupts the class, if that means the gifted class is really smart."

"I didn't do well on my test though." Hana spoke up, in a whisper so as to not draw the teachers attention to herself.

"We're supposed to be introducing ourselves silly, so there is no need to speak quietly. Honestly... you are as timid as a mouse." The girl smiled at her, flicking her hair back over her shoulder. "I am Akimoto Kumiko. I'm of a noble family, which makes me surprised that they overlooked my skill like they did."

"You have skill?" Hana blinked a couple of times.

"I bet you do too." Kumiko smiled at the small female. "Where did you come from? You don't act like someone of the noble families."

"First district of the Rukongai... I'm actually following my sempai." The small female glanced at the ground, fidgeting as she did so.

"So, who is your sempai?" The other female asked. "Though I doubt you know anyone special."

"I know..." Hana paused. "_I can't mention Hitsugaya Toshiro. I don't know why, but I just can't..._" The small female's cheeks flushed up. "Hinamori Momo."

"You mean Hinamori Momo, the fukutaicho of the fifth division!" The Akimoto noble became excited at this. "What was she like before she entered the academy?"

At that, Hana brightened up. "Hinamori Momo is really nice. She attended the school where I went to learn how to read and write and she used to read to the younger girls when she still attended. Everyone in our village liked her."

"That is simply amazing." The other female watched as Hana began to become nervous again. "I joined because I am interested in the tenth division captain."

"Why?" Hana became confused for a bit.

"If you don't know, you don't know," the other girl smirked. "Do you think the two of us can be friends?" At that, Hana nodded her head, forgetting about the comment about the tenth division captain.

_Author's note – Those who've read the first know that I began this series to prove that a childhood friend of sorts could be written for Hitsugaya Toshiro without the character turning into a Mary Sue simply by having Toshiro go OoC to be a friend. Recently, I read a fanfic though where an OC had only been in soul society, less then ten years and knew Ichigo personally, yet Toshiro claimed her to be a childhood friend. That plot simply isn't possible._

_Anyways, I am going to have Hita join Hana sometime during this fanfic, but what year is the question. I plan on having him graduate the same year as her. See my profile for the poll involving this please._


	4. Year One (Part Two)

**Softly Snowing II  
_Academy Years_  
**_~Year One (Part Two)~_

The first day of classes, nothing much happened as the teachers expected the students to get used to the classroom setting and get to know their fellow students. Hana glanced around, her lips tightening with excitement as everything progressed. She didn't have much to speak with anyone about yet, as in comparison to the others, her life seemed boring.

To the small female from the Rukongai, Akimoto seemed absolutely amazing. She spoke of things like ice cream, a treat that was supposed to be cold and creamy, not to mention sweet. Hana couldn't imagine such a thing existing, but the girl insisted that there was such a thing and that if Kamoku could afford it, she should try it.

Eventually, two older students came to lead the students to their dorm areas. Hana found herself falling in step behind Kumiko, her eyes darting around to look at all the immense buildings around her. The detail artistry was definitely amazing, at least to her mind that had never seen such things. She stumbled a few times, tripping over her own saddles, her mind was so preoccupied.

The Akimoto noble looked back at Hana with amusement in her eyes, while some of the other females gave her worried looks. They arrived at the dorm area and placed their shoes in boxed shelves. The female who led them asked for heir numbers. Hana glanced down at the number at her paper, and then heard the instructions on how to get to the room.

"Your dorm is upstairs and third door on the left." The female stated, before moving onto the next girl.

Hana glanced at the piece of paper, her lips tightening and her brow furrowing. "What does this... upstairs mean?"

At that, one of the other females spoke up, her words rather nervous. "You've never heard of stairs?"

"She's Rukongai trash. Shouldn't the academy let in nobles only?" One of the other females scoffed, while the small, brown haired female looked on in confusion.

At that, the Akimoto girl spoke up. "I wouldn't say that all people from the Rukongai is trash. I mean, Hinamori Fukutaicho came from the Rukongai, right?"

"Yes... well..." The one girl paused, not sure at all what to say.

At that, Kumiko walked forward. "I'll show you what these stairs are. Follow me." At that, Hana followed the female eagerly, leaving the other two females behind. When they were out of ear shot, the black haired female spoke up. "You honestly don't know when someone is insulting you, do you?"

At that, Hana blinked a couple of times. "I know that the word trash wasn't nice, but I didn't think much of it."

"A word of advice," the female noble stated firmly. "Not everyone wants to be your friend. Those girl's certainly didn't. There is..." After a slight pause, she continued. "Among the nobles, there is the belief that the noble class is above those from the Rukongai."

"Well, aren't they? And don't you think that too? I mean you are a noble. I think you're pretty amazing." The small, brown haired female blurted out, her words fumbling out.

The Akimoto girl raised an eyebrow, and then let out her words with a tone of superiority. "Well, you really don't get it. I'll just have to keep an eye on you, teach you the basics."

At that, Hana moved to hug the female, only to have Kumiko pull away. At that, the small female frowned. "I did something wrong again, didn't I?"

"You're not supposed to show affection of friendship publicly. Goodness knows in the noble families, you aren't supposed to show any affection even privately." The female had a rather exasperated look on her face, but her eyes were also filled with amusement at Hana's strange antics.

At that, they arrived at a wooden object, which looked like boxes stacked on each other. The brown haired female watched as various girls went up and down them. "These are?"

"These are stairs. You're supposed to go up them." Kumiko took a step up the stairs, moving slowly. "I can't believe that these are so narrow, with so many people here. I would have expected them to have been built bigger to allow for personal space."

Hana though, moved up the stairs even slower. She took with trepidation one step after another, at which Akimoto turned her head and watched the other girl carefully, letting out a laugh as she did so. Eventually they got to the top and Hana found herself bending over. "Why do they expect us to go up these things?"

The black haired female laughed. "I think we'll be _great_ friends, don't you think?"

At that, Hana glanced up, straigtening herself up. She noded her head in excitement and agreement. Both of the girls headed towards the dorm they were assigned to and they found a room with ten beds in it, five on each side. The small female found herself starting at the spots. Kumiko let out a deep sigh. "What, they can't give us any privacy?"

"Those things are?" The small, brown haired female frowned. "Where are the futons?"

At that, the noble blinked a couple of times, then glanced back. "I guess you're right. I know that this is a western style bedding. I hadn't expected the school to have these set up for us though. Kind of fancy, isn't it?"

"I don't find it fancy. I find it strange." Hana stated, her head suddenly spinning due to the new things that she was learning.

These beds were hard to describe, but they were these frames made of wood. They then had a rectangular thing on top, covered with white cloth. Why anyone would want that kind of object, she honestly didn't understand. She watched though, as Kumiko went and sat on one of the beds. "Soft."

At that, the smaller of the two females regained her composure and went and sat down next to her. "You're right. But how can such a thing support our weight? I mean, it is way too soft."

At that, Hana got on the ground to look under the bed, while Kumiko, who was also curious, bend to the side to pear under. "You're right. I mean, I can see those bars somewhat keeping us from falling through, but it makes no sense at all."

"It is because the mattress is stuffed so full, it won't go through the bars unless it is old." A female voice came to the two and Hana turned to see who was speaking to her, only to hit her head on the bed frame with a loud resounding crack.

"Ouch." At that, she pulled her way from underneath the bed and glanced up to see a familiar face. "Ayumu-chan! It is good to see you again!" Hana then turned to the bed. "Are you sure that we won't fall through on this thing?"

At that, the Hamano girl spoke up. "You aren't very bright, are you?"

As the smaller brown haired female blinked her eyes, Kumiko waved her hand in the air. "What did I tell you about people not necessarily wanting to be your friend? You must be in the first class and think your special, particularly since you are from the Rukongai and are in a class that nobles mostly dominates."

At that, Hana blinked a couple of times. "Why is that?"

"Well, noble families happen to have spiritual pressure run in them and that spiritual pressure tends to build up. It is those with a lot of spiritual pressure who have the most potential, so they get placed into the first class."

"That makes a lot of sense." The smaller female nodded her head in agreement, which caused Ayumu to bite slightly down on her bottom lip.

"You are rather conceited, aren't you?" The comment was directed at the noble female, but Hana found herself blinking a few times.

"That wasn't exactly a nice thing to say, was it?" The small female stated, sitting down next to Kumiko and swinging her legs.

"Are you sure you want to be friends with her?" The other female asked, eying the noble rather warily.

"Why not?" Hana frowned at the female, confused as to why anyone would ask such a question, her nativity getting in the way.

"Don't blame me Kamoku-san when she tires of you and moves onto something else that interests her." At that, the other female moved away and selected a bed for herself. She hung her bag over one of the bed posts and sat down, still eying the noble warily. After a bit, she turned and ignored the other two females.

Eventually, they were joined by one of the females who had been speaking to them down stairs and her nose wrinkled up upon site of the room. "No privacy?"

"Kumiko-chan commented on that already." Hana stated, smiling and catching the other female off guard while the Akimoto noble swung her bag over the post. The one female simply stared at Hana, her mouth open.

The so called friend that Hana had made opened her mouth to say something, thought better of it, then choose possibly to say something else. "I like the idea of having someone call me chan. I've heard that is very popular in the world of the living."

"Really?" The Kamoku girl was suddenly all ears.

"You should claim your bed, K... Hana-chan." Akimoto stated, smiling as Hana complied with what she wanted. "See, I've heard from my older brother that in the living world, really good friends call each other by their first name and add chan to the end of it."

"You're a noble. Why would you want something like that?" The other girl gave the two girls a dirty look and took a bed across the way from them, as it wasn't easy for her to get a bed as far away from them as she would have liked.

"Because, times are changing. My brother has said so. Apparently, the noble of the Kuchiki clan adopted someone from the Rukongai." Kumiko smiled, hugging herself tightly.

"That's just a rumor, like the fact that he married someone from there too." The girl stated.

"Well, I've heard it isn't a rumor. My brother says it was a basic princess story." The black haired female flipped her hair slightly.

"What is... a princess story?" Hana folded her legs across, her attention rather apt.

"They are stories where someone from the poor area marries into the rich, wealthy, well established." Kumiko stated. The other girl gagged, while she glanced around the room.

"I've never heard such stories. I mostly learned about the myths in my classes. Like about dragons and the emperor." The small brown haired female's attention was fully involved.

"I am surprised you actually got an education." The other girl chided, her eyes feeling with slight panic as she glanced around the room. Something was obviously bothering her.

"Well, there is this one story from the west, about a girl named Cinderella, or something like that. Her step mother and sisters made her do all the cleaning and she was dressed in rags." The Akimoto girl found herself enjoying the rapt attention, and even Ayumu's head had perked up.

"So, her kimono was dull and had holes in it?" Hana commented, her mind using her basic knowledge of the world.

"Well... she didn't wear a kimono. She wore this thing called a dress. Dresses are a western style of clothing. My brother's described them before, but it's hard for me to describe, other then the fact that they can be very plane, or very pretty." Kumiko frowned suddenly.

"Sounds like a kimono..." The other noble rolled her eyes, while a few other girls came in.

"It isn't." The reply barked out, irritated at the other girl's response. "Anyways, this girl gets invited to this ball thing. It's a dance that thing that they have in the West and... well, it is important like our festivles, except normally only the nobles would be getting to go. Well, this Cinderella person gets to go and the prince falls in love with her."

"This is a dumb story." The other noble stated.

Akimoto glared at the other girl. "I don't know. Maybe Hana-chan can be our Cinderella and we can train her up so she can marry into a noble family."

"It won't ever happen and you know it."

The small brown haired girl spoke up, smiling weekly. "I've never thought about marrying. I mean, my parents always talked about me going to school so that I would be worth more when I was married off. That's why they agreed to let me go, because I would have better chances of finding a good husband. However... I don't want to get married yet."

"Haven't you found a guy that you like a lot though?" Kumiko asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I haven't put much thought into it. I just like taking each day at a time." Hana smiled at the other girls who were joining them.

"Obviously." The other noble glanced around, her body completely tense.


End file.

Bleach, Drama, Hurt-Comfort