Challenge #001; Beginnings
Rukia inhaled deeply, glossy black hair brushing against her shoulders and neck as breath filled her lungs. The ex-shinigami outstretched her palm to Ichigo, and opening it, revealed... a fly.
"If you can take the fly from my palm, young grasshopper," she intoned, "then you will be ready to become a full-fledged shinigami."
Ichigo stared.
Then he looked down at the fly.
He looked back up at Rukia.
"Rukia," he intoned, "this is retarded."
"Hey, don't give me that crap!" Rukia growled, pointing a pale finger at Ichigo. "You're still a rookie, and I've got seniority over you." She stuck out her tongue, and Ichigo rolled his eyes.
"What the hell does taking a fly gotta do with anything?" he asked, crossing his arms.
"Um," said Rukia, scratching the back of her head nervously, "I... I'm not really sure! It just seemed like a good idea at the time..."
Ichigo groaned. "Can I go back to my homework now?"
"Not yet!" cheered Rukia, searching for a new challenge to give her young "pupil". "There's still so much I've got to teach you, you only got your powers a couple days ago!"
"And I've already beaten three Hollows," said Ichigo, a wide smirk spreading across his face.
"... yes. Well." Rukia didn't really have a comeback for that. In Soul Society, shinigami didn't actually face Hollows until after their graduation from the Academy, since letting a Hollow loose in Soul Society was definitely not a wise idea.
Ichigo, however, had managed to take down three Hollows, one right after the other, without any training or preperation beforehand. It didn't seem... normal.
"I give up," sighed Rukia, pushing a loose lock of hair away from her brow. "Can you help me with #2?"
"Number 2?" asked Ichigo, blinking. He peered over her homework and squinted. "That's just a geometry problem, Rukia."
"But I don't get it!" she whined. "I never had to learn this stuff at the Academy!"
Ichigo smirked. "Welcome to Earth," he teased, "where schools teach all sorts of useless things for the real world." He reached for his pencil and drew the triangle onto Rukia's paper. "Alright, so you've got this triangle. See this little mark here?" - Ichigo pointed to a small box inside the triangle - "that means that the measure there is ninety degrees. The question's asking for the measures of the other two angles."
"How am I supposed to do that?" Rukia frowned, looking up at the so-much-taller Ichigo.
"Well... every triangle's got a total measure of one-hundred and eighty degrees, right?" Rukia nodded, and Ichigo cleared his throat. "Okay, so... the question's also giving you a little hint. It says that the measure of one angle is four times greater than the measure of the second angle."
"So I'm supposed to figure out those two measures?" Rukia asked, her pencil already setting into motion.
"That's right."
Rukia paused, the pencil rising up to her lips. "Oh! I've got it!" she grinned. "The other two measures are eighteen and seventy-two."
"Hey, how'd you figure that out?" Ichigo blinked. "It took me a couple minutes to get that answer..."
"Superior shinigami intellect," Rukia beamed.
Ichigo rolled his eyes. "I can tell this is going to be the beginning of a wonderful relationship."
"Shush! Now, what's the answer to number three?"
(Teh table!)
"If you can take the fly from my palm, young grasshopper," she intoned, "then you will be ready to become a full-fledged shinigami."
Ichigo stared.
Then he looked down at the fly.
He looked back up at Rukia.
"Rukia," he intoned, "this is retarded."
"Hey, don't give me that crap!" Rukia growled, pointing a pale finger at Ichigo. "You're still a rookie, and I've got seniority over you." She stuck out her tongue, and Ichigo rolled his eyes.
"What the hell does taking a fly gotta do with anything?" he asked, crossing his arms.
"Um," said Rukia, scratching the back of her head nervously, "I... I'm not really sure! It just seemed like a good idea at the time..."
Ichigo groaned. "Can I go back to my homework now?"
"Not yet!" cheered Rukia, searching for a new challenge to give her young "pupil". "There's still so much I've got to teach you, you only got your powers a couple days ago!"
"And I've already beaten three Hollows," said Ichigo, a wide smirk spreading across his face.
"... yes. Well." Rukia didn't really have a comeback for that. In Soul Society, shinigami didn't actually face Hollows until after their graduation from the Academy, since letting a Hollow loose in Soul Society was definitely not a wise idea.
Ichigo, however, had managed to take down three Hollows, one right after the other, without any training or preperation beforehand. It didn't seem... normal.
"I give up," sighed Rukia, pushing a loose lock of hair away from her brow. "Can you help me with #2?"
"Number 2?" asked Ichigo, blinking. He peered over her homework and squinted. "That's just a geometry problem, Rukia."
"But I don't get it!" she whined. "I never had to learn this stuff at the Academy!"
Ichigo smirked. "Welcome to Earth," he teased, "where schools teach all sorts of useless things for the real world." He reached for his pencil and drew the triangle onto Rukia's paper. "Alright, so you've got this triangle. See this little mark here?" - Ichigo pointed to a small box inside the triangle - "that means that the measure there is ninety degrees. The question's asking for the measures of the other two angles."
"How am I supposed to do that?" Rukia frowned, looking up at the so-much-taller Ichigo.
"Well... every triangle's got a total measure of one-hundred and eighty degrees, right?" Rukia nodded, and Ichigo cleared his throat. "Okay, so... the question's also giving you a little hint. It says that the measure of one angle is four times greater than the measure of the second angle."
"So I'm supposed to figure out those two measures?" Rukia asked, her pencil already setting into motion.
"That's right."
Rukia paused, the pencil rising up to her lips. "Oh! I've got it!" she grinned. "The other two measures are eighteen and seventy-two."
"Hey, how'd you figure that out?" Ichigo blinked. "It took me a couple minutes to get that answer..."
"Superior shinigami intellect," Rukia beamed.
Ichigo rolled his eyes. "I can tell this is going to be the beginning of a wonderful relationship."
"Shush! Now, what's the answer to number three?"
(Teh table!)