Bleach 1. Prologue

**Hello, hello. This is my first chaptered story. I have no clue how quickly I'll update but as of right now I'm pretty excited to do this. ^^ I hope you enjoy reading future chapters! I'll try and remember to warn people about any violence or such. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. They belong to the awesomeness that is Kubo Tite. The idea, however, is mine.**

**Pairings: Ichigo x Rukia, possible mention of a couple others. **

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_Prologue_

The war was finally over. The casualties were numerous. Among the Captain-level Shinigami who gave up their lives in the line of duty were Captain-Commander Yamamoto, Captain Ukitake, and…Kurosaki Ichigo.

Ichigo had managed to defeat Aizen but the Hougyoku, in a last ditch effort to secure its continued existence, had fused with Ichigo. It was Urahara's belief that the Hougyoku didn't think the orange haired substitute Shinigami would go as far as sacrificing his own life to destroy it.

When the Hougyoku sensed Ichigo's intentions to destroy himself along with the orb that had caused so much pain it began to drain Ichigo of his reiryoku…and so his life force. Ichigo's very existence had become dependent on his reiryoku when he traded it for further enhanced physical strength. Though the method would not have saved the Hougyoku, it did give it the time to fuse with another soul being. The orange haired young man had instinctively known this and returned to his body in order to trap and destroy the Hougyoku.

Urahara sighed and put down his tea, staring into the green liquid. This was, he knew, what had ultimately cost Ichigo his memories when he died. There was the possibility that dying in his Shinigami form wouldn't have resulted in the loss of his memories but at the same time dying in that form might have resulted in an odd state of limbo for Ichigo's soul. In the end, Ichigo had gone with a route which guaranteed the safety of his family and friends. Perhaps things were better that way. Still, the ex-captain felt sorry for the friends who would have to deal with an Ichigo with no memory of them.

There was no doubt in the man's mind that Ichigo would once again become a Shinigami. "Heavy thoughts, Kisuke?" A feminine voice broke into the man's thoughts. He turned to look at his old friend and smiled weakly.

"Yoruichi. What gives you that idea?"

"I know you better than that, Kisuke," the princess of Shihouin replied.

"Mm. Just wondering when he'll make his way to this world." Kisuke took a sip of his tea, gazing at Yoruichi from underneath a green and white hat.

"Tch. You can feel it, too, can't you? Rukongai is restless."

Urahara Kisuke smiled coyly under his hat. There really was no fooling her. "I wonder if we shouldn't send someone to see how he's doing?" He chuckled softly at his own idea and stood up. "It may be difficult but I don't think his memory loss is permanent. Could you please go get Rukia-chan for me?"

"You can be so cruel, Kisuke," Yoruichi said, searching his face for something, some kind of sign that he knew what he was doing. She may be good at reading him but even she couldn't figure out why he wanted Rukia, of all people, to find Ichigo again. She sighed and nodded. "Fine. I do hope you know what you're doing, Captain-Commander." Then she disappeared using Shunpo. "So do I," Kisuke said after she left, moving to the porch to look at the night sky, the white haori of the Captain of the 1st squad shifting over his Shihakushou as he walked.


	2. Chapter One

**Hello again! Thanks for the reviews on the previous chapter/prologue. Hope you like this one too. I promise there'll be some action in the next chapter! ;) Also, kudos to the people who get the chapter title. ^^**

**Disclaimer: The characters belong to Kubo Tite. Only the story is mine.**

**Pairings: IchiRuki, some others thrown in for fun.**

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_I Went to Buy a Loaf of Bread, Bread, Bread__…_

As hundreds of tiny, pink blades threatened to crash down on Kuchiki Rukia, she moved out of the way and leapt high into the air. She knew that the dust her brother's attack created would be the perfect way to hide her movement from Hollows. Her brother was no Hollow though. She knew her attack was pointless. Kuchiki Byakuya wasn't a Captain for nothing.

Rather than concentrate on the power gap between them, Rukia aimed her left hand at Byakuya and began to chant an incantation. "Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring. Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle! Way of Destruction, number sixty-three, Raikoho!"

As she spoke a sparking yellow orb grew under her palm. Her brows wrinkled in concentration as she focused her energy through the spell. She was far more accustomed to fighting with Shakkahou and Soukatsui; both were level thirty spells. If she wanted to get stronger she had to learn how to use other spells in battle as well.

The completed attack shot downwards towards Kuchiki Byakuya and she saw his Zanpakuto move to block the lightning-like attack before it hit him. As dust rose from the clash, Rukia let out a breath slowly. Her guard slipped a little and before she had time to react she was surrounded by Senbonzakura's petal-blades.

Rukia's grip on the white katana in her right hand tightened. _No choice. I__'__ve got to try it._ Her expression turned grim as she said, "Some no mai, Tsukishiro." What she was trying was risky. She hadn't perfected the use of Tsukishiro as a defence but she had little choice unless she forfeited the training match. A white circle formed on the ground below but the middle part faded away quickly. Ice formed where the white glowed and extended far up into the sky.

Byakuya watched with mild appreciation as his Senbonzakura hit the ice pillar and stopped. He could shatter the ice and crush Rukia completely but the point was to make his sister stronger, not make her have to rely on the Fourth Squad's hospitality. The ice pillar glowed white briefly before breaking apart and disappearing. Byakuya's eyes narrowed a fraction when he noticed that Rukia had released her katana's shikai and she was holding her arm. Evidently she had pushed herself a little too far.

Byakuya returned his katana to normal and sheathed it before Rukia made it to where he was standing. "We are done for today, Rukia," he told her, his tone cold and formal as always. He sighed mentally as the small woman took it the wrong way. He hadn't meant to sound like he was scolding her. "You did well today. We shall spar again tomorrow."

As predicted, Rukia brightened enough to smile up at her adoptive older brother. "Thank you, Nii-sama!" Then there was another person there, perched playfully on Byakuya's shoulders with a grin. "L-lieutenant Yoruichi!" Rukia exclaimed in surprise. Judging by the mildly shocked expression on her brother's face he had not noticed Yoruichi's approach any more than she had.

"Oh? What's this? Brother-sister bonding? How cute, Little Byakuya," the dark skinned woman purred. When Byakuya made a move to grab Yoruichi she Shunpo'd to behind Rukia. "Kisuke requests your presence at First Squad Barracks, Rukia." Byakuya frowned faintly before turning and beginning to walk away. "Nii-sama?" He glanced over his shoulder at his sister and merely said, "Don't keep Captain-Commander Urahara waiting." Then it was just two people again.

"He never changes, does he?" Yoruichi asked rhetorically. Rukia rounded on her with a frown. "He does change! He _has_ changed." The older woman chuckled softly before reaching for Rukia's injured arm. The black haired Shinigami winced at the contact, gentle though it was. "What have ya done to yourself, Rukia?" Yoruichi asked with a soft sigh of concern. Rukia watched Yoruichi's free hand hover over the paler than usual skin for a moment before glowing.

"I didn't know you could us healing Kidou?" Rukia asked curiously. She didn't really expect an answer so when Yoruichi smiled kindly at her and answered she was quite surprised. "I dabbled in it in my spare time. Not that I ever had a lot of it. Being a princess is never easy, is it, Rukia?" Rukia blinked in confusion. It was like Yoruichi was saying she was a princess too…. "Don't give me that look. You're a part of the Kuchiki house, so that makes you their princess." Rukia's face burned red at the compliment Yoruichi was paying her.

"I…thank you," she finally said in response.

"Hmm," Yoruichi hummed innocently. "So, how'd you manage to get hurt? Byakuya pushing you too hard?"

"No, never. I just…I was trying something new and it backfired."

Admitting as much wasn't easy for Rukia. She had never been good about sharing her problems with others. Captain Ukitake had been one of the few that managed to get her to come to him occasionally for help. His death had hit her hard though she refused to show that outwardly. The absence of Ichigo was even worse than that of Ukitake.

Yoruichi's voice brought her back out of her thoughts gently, "- get it eventually."

"Ah…yes, thank you," Rukia said. She assumed that the First Squad Lieutenant had been giving her encouragement though she couldn't be completely sure.

"Let's go." At Yoruichi's word the two headed towards First Squad barracks using Shunpo. "Is Little Byakuya teaching you Shunpo too?"

"No," Rukia said simply. She didn't want to bother her older brother too much. She felt Yoruichi's eyes on her and looked back questioningly. The woman responded with a grin before increasing her speed slightly. Wondering what she was doing, Rukia increased her speed to match. Their speed continued to increase until they got to their destination. When they finally burst into Urahara's office, Rukia was panting and sweating heavily while Yoruichi looked like she walked to the First Squad barracks. She really was the Goddess of Flash.

"Hey, hey, what's the rush?" Urahara asked, tilting his head up just enough for both women to see his eyes. They were sparkling with mischief. "If you wanted to see me so bad -" Rukia's cut him off sharply. "Don't play games with me, Urahara. What do you want?" He remained the only Captain of the Gotei Thirteen that Rukia did not always address with their title. Old habits died hard.

"Bread."

"What?" Rukia was quite confused. What did bread have to do with anything?

"You asked what I wanted. I want bread." Urahara caught Yoruichi rolling her eyes at him and he grinned.

"Then go get it yourself," Rukia said with a tired sigh. He just loved messing with her.

"But it's so far away," Urahara whined, earning a curious look from Rukia. "I order you to get me bread." Rukia opened her mouth to say something but he raised his hand to stop her. "Ah. Just wait. The bread I want is special. It's from the thirty-fourth district of Rukongai. You'll know it when you see it. Okay, now off you go!"

There was a long pause as Rukia digested what Urahara said. He was sending her to Rukongai for some bread that would probably be sta - oh hey, she had an idea. "You do realize that district thirty-four is a day and a half away. Your precious bread will be stale by the time I get back." Urahara was only mildly surprised by Rukia's resistance. It was a bit (just a bit?) of a ridiculous task but he thought she had more respect for rank than that. He decided to use a little more force. He narrowed his eyes and let a little more of his reiatsu leak out. "Are you going to disobey the Captain-Commander, Kuchiki-san?"

It had the desired effect. Rukia flinched before bowing deeply and saying, "No, Captain-Commander Urahara." He smiled broadly. Good. Resorting to intimidation wasn't his favourite tactic but time was of the essence he feared. "See you in a few days, Rukia-chan," Urahara cooed overly friendly. She glared at him but didn't say anything. Her exit from the office was quick as she fumed over the order. She desperately wanted to throttle whoever suggested that Urahara Kisuke should replace Yamamoto as Captain-Commander.

Yet at the same time, she understood why he had been called upon to fill the role. There were few who were suitable to lead the Gotei Thirteen. As much as she admired her brother he was too rigid to be Captain-Commander. The others all had something against them as well. Inexperienced, alcoholic, crazy…Urahara was none of those. Well, perhaps he was a little bit crazy, but he was no Captain Kurotsuchi or Captain Zaraki. He was probably the most intelligent Shinigami alive, strong enough to surprise Aizen without using his bankai, and could recognize when he made a mistake.

It came down to the fact that she trusted Urahara. Despite his past dishonesty. Although she preferred to owe her life to Ichigo she understood that it was because of Urahara that Ichigo had been able to rescue her. None of these facts made her any less angry with Urahara when he got into a mood to toy with her. Rukia made her way to the Kuchiki manor to deliver the news to Byakuya and pick up a few things for travel.

Rukia didn't bring much with her whenever she went anywhere, but there were a few things besides her Zanpakuto she never forgot. Her sketchbook, several markers, some necessities…and the photograph of her with her Real World friends. She slipped the picture into her Shihakushou for safe keeping and put everything else in a pack that immediately shrunk to the size of a marble.

Shinigami had been using the shrinking pack for decades. Bags weren't very handy for fighters to carry around. Only recently did Rukia discover that it was another invention of Urahara's. Her packing done, Rukia went to see Byakuya in his room. The sliding door was fully open and she cleared her throat to get his attention. He looked up at her immediately and she smiled. She remembered a time when she would speak and he wouldn't even face her direction. "Nii-sama. I have a mission. I'll be away for a few days."

"Where are you going?" He asked cautiously. Some missions couldn't be talked about. If Urahara thought to send her on one of those types of missions….

"Rukongai. Thirty-fourth division. Urahara wants some bread," Rukia replied, trying hard to keep her annoyance from her voice.

"Thirty-fourth division is restless lately." It was his way of telling her to be careful.

Rukia nodded briefly before bowing and leaving. She walked through Soul Society towards the west gate but once she got out she started running towards district thirty-four. A day and a half was at walking speed. If she ran for a while she could get there sooner and have a little extra time that she could potentially spend relaxing. Since she had left early enough in the day she should have been able to arrive late at night. Something Yoruichi had said on the way to Urahara's office made Rukia want to try and get there sooner - with the use of Shunpo. What was it that Yoruichi had said again?

_Yoruichi suddenly laughed as they neared Urahara's office. "You're not bad, Rukia! You should practice some more then come play tag with me." Rukia, labouring for breath and trying to keep up with the pace Yoruichi had set, grinned and pushed herself to go just that little bit faster._

As she had done earlier, Rukia used Shunpo and pushed herself to her limits. By the time she arrived the sun was almost set and her stomach rumbled loudly. She located the only inn as quick as she could and paid for a room and food. Having missed dinner earlier the home cooked meal was very welcome. She didn't linger in the common room for long. Using so much Shunpo was tiring. She was eager to sleep in for the first time in a long time. She collapsed on the comfortable bed in her room and was asleep within moments. Her sleep was quite pleasant but her wake up call was surprising to say the least.


	3. Chapter Two

**Hey again! Anyone read the latest manga chapter (420)? Holy cow! That's all I can say. That and this story diverges from canon at that point. XD**

**Disclaimer: Bleach and its characters aren't mine. Just this story.**

**Pairings: IchiRuki, others thrown in for fun.**

**Warning: Some violence and language in this chapter.**

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_Shades of Orange_

It was a rather typical early morning in a Rukongai district; noisy. This was a problem for anyone trying to sleep at the inn. Thirty-fourth wasn't an excessively poor place but the buildings were weak, thin walls doing little more than keeping outside weather out.

Rukia was beginning to wake up from all the commotion outside. She woke up and groaned. No, not happening. She grumpily folded the pillow over her uncovered ear and tried to go back to sleep.

Rukia was startled fully awake as something went flying through the wall of her room. She sat up and fought to untangle her legs from her blanket. She freed her legs quickly enough and stood, snatched her Zanpakuto.

As she stared at what, or rather, _who_ had burst through the wall recognition dawned on her. She lowered her recently unsheathed katana in disbelief. The black haired Shinigami instantly knew who it was when she saw their hair.

She had three markers that exact shade of orange, two of which were dried up. The third one was probably well on its way to joining the other two. She promised herself not to buy another one after it ran out. She'd already broken that promise twice before. No one but herself knew that Rukia had pages and pages of rabbit-like drawings with spiky orange hair in her sketchbook.

The body groaned and rubbed the back of his head. "Damn that Kita," a familiar voice growled. Rukia's lips twitched upwards into a brief smile that faded quickly. How long had it been since she heard that voice? A month, maybe two…. No one in Soul Society had known where Ichigo's soul had gone once he'd died; there were just too many districts in Rukongai to tell and the Shinigami didn't have time to search them for him.

Or rather, they couldn't search for him. He'd died as a regular soul, drained of all his reiryoku, and so had arrived with little or none.

The teen with orange hair stood up slowly and blinked in surprise when he noticed Rukia watching him. He noted the katana held loosely in her hand and her outfit. His scowl deepened.

"Oi, Shinigami, you should get out of here quickly," he said in warning. He dismissed the slight look of shock his words earned before heading towards the gaping hole in the inn.

Rukia's blood boiled in anger. They don't see each other for a little over a month and _that__'__s_ what he had to say to her? She took a deep breath and sheathed her katana slowly.

The next thing Ichigo knew was the pleasure of a flying kick to the side of his head. "You dumbass! What the hell is that supposed to mean!"

The highly offended look on Ichigo's face when he stood up almost brought a smile to Rukia's face again. Still, she wouldn't smile in the middle of their bickering. It simply wasn't done.

"It means your kind aren't welcome here, brat!" Ichigo snapped in response. _Shinigami are arrogant. While they lounge about their precious Seireitei, us regular people in Rukongai suffered. _He didn't hate them but he didn't particularly like them either.

Rukia blinked. Her kind…? "You don't -" The Shinigami had to swallow past the lump suddenly in her throat. "Don't what? Don't mean it? Believe me, I mean it," Ichigo said, peering at her curiously.

The sword-bearing young man tilted his head and looked at the violet eyes of the child-like woman in front of him. Pain flashed briefly in her eyes before they grew cold. "Nothing. Why did you crash into my room?"

"Huh? Oh, shit!" Ichigo ran out of the room without gracing Rukia with an answer. With a mix of curiosity and annoyance she followed him out at a slower pace. Her reaction was to raise a delicate brow when she saw all the fighting.

It was like an all out mini-war. She was unsure what to make of it. A hand on her shoulder made her jump move away. She grasped the hilt of her sword as she turned to face the person who had touched her.

"Easy! I mean no harm. A good girl like you should come inside and wait for them to stop fighting," the middle-aged innkeeper's wife said.

"What is all this?" Rukia asked instead.

"Gang war. Started about a month ago when that orange-haired kid arrived," the woman replied, gesturing towards Ichigo. He was occupied with another man who looked older. Rukia frowned and was about to ask for more information when the woman continued.

"The one he's fighting is Kita Sora-sama. He was the self-proclaimed ruler here until that young man showed up and challenged him to a fight. Probably didn't like Kita-sama bossing him around.

"When he beat Kita-sama some of Kita-sama's men defected and started following orange top around and -" she was interrupted by Rukia asking, "How come you don't call him by name?"

"Well see, that's the funny thing. Kid doesn't know his own name. His followers just call him 'Boss.'" The innkeeper's wife shook her head sadly.

_He doesn't remember,_ Rukia concluded mentally. _He doesn't remember anything. Not his own name, his old life, me…._

Rukia wasn't dumb. Urahara hadn't sent her to Thirty-fourth just for bread. He hadn't lost his uncanny ability to know things that others didn't. He knew Ichigo was there and he'd sent her to…to what exactly?

It was possible Urahara wanted her to bring Ichigo back with her. That unbelievably comforting reiatsu she'd grown so accustomed to feeling whenever she went to the Real World was oozing out of Ichigo once again. He could become a Shinigami again. Was that what Ichigo wanted, though? Rukongai was a simpler life than the life of a true Shinigami.

"Oi, Shinigami! Watch out!" Rukia blinked in surprise at Ichigo's voice as the man he'd been fighting came running at her. She drew her sword to block Kita's expertly.

"Shinigami scum! Die!" The man yelled at her, recklessly swinging his sword at her. He was shorter than Ichigo, with brilliant blue eyes and dirty blonde hair. She said nothing in response to his comment.

Even if attacked first, a Shinigami should never kill a soul they have not been ordered to kill. So instead, Rukia focused on making him unable to fight. "Way of Binding, number one, Sai!"

Kita Sora dropped onto the ground with his arms locked behind his back. He was screaming profanities up at her but she ignored him for the most part as Ichigo approached.

"I told ya that your kind aren't welcome here," the orange haired teen commented. His voice was a little friendlier. Rukia assumed it was because she'd just disabled his enemy.

Ichigo looked down at Kita and sighed, using a foot to roll the man onto his side. "Shut up already," he said with a sigh. "You got your ass beat by a little girl, Sora."

It was nostalgic, being thought of as a little girl. That didn't mean she'd accept being called one though. "I'm not a little girl," Rukia corrected. A hint of her amusement at the situation must have made it into her voice because Ichigo's scowl lightened a bit.

His expression darkened again as Kita spoke up. "Screw you, asshole. As soon as this little bitch lets me go I'm gonna fucking kill ya!"

Rukia noticed that Kita Sora wasn't unattractive. If not for his horrible attitude she would have even go so far as to say he could be charming. "That's not much incentive for me let you go," she pointed out dryly.

"Shut up! Stupid little Shini- mmph!" Kita's reply was cut off by a gag being tied around his mouth by a member of Ichigo's gang.

"Thanks Hideaki," Ichigo said with a sigh. "Your mouth is too big for your own good Sora."

The orange-haired teen turned to examine Rukia. "That trick of yours is handy, kid."

"I told you, I'm not a kid." That time her irritation must have shown through because Ichigo raised a hand to the back of his head slightly nervously. He asked, "Well then, what's your name?"

"Kuchiki Rukia," she responded. She paused as she considered what she was about to say. "Would you mind coming with me for a moment?"

She disliked having to use such formality with Ichigo but since he was missing his memory it was hardly appropriate to drag him off by the front of his shirt. He looked at her in confusion before seeing what the other gang members were up to. Most were watching the leaders and the Shinigami. A few others were still fighting but Ichigo didn't think it was anything he ought to concern himself with. He shrugged and Rukia led them away from the battle.

As she walked ahead of Ichigo, Rukia fought to keep up the calm façade. She both knew and didn't know the man she was with. Under the surface she was deeply troubled by his lack of memory. _It isn't uncommon for a regular soul to forget most of their past life…but to go so far as to forget their name? _She'd never heard of it before. How had no memories changed the Ichigo she knew?

"- ukia. Rukia! Are ya listenin'?" Ichigo asked, voice just below yelling.

"Huh? Yes, what?" Rukia replied, startled slightly as the orange-haired teen grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. He towered above her as usual.

"We've walked far enough. Start talkin' or I'm going back," he told her seriously.

In that moment Rukia knew she didn't want to let Ichigo go just like that. He was one of her closest friends, memories or not. _If he doesn't remember his old ones then we'll just make new ones. _

The black-haired Shinigami looked up at him with determination and said, "Become a Shinigami."

"Come again?"

"You have a lot of reiatsu and you seem pretty strong. Seireitei could use you." _Not like they haven't already used you…_ Rukia thought sadly, _and look how that ended up._

Ichigo stared at the petite woman before huffing softly. "No thanks."

"But you have to!" Rukia exclaimed in alarm. _Why am I so surprised? He didn't want to be a Shinigami in the Real World either._

Why?" Ichigo was genuinely curious why he just _had_ to be a Shinigami.

"Because…." It was a good question. One she wasn't sure she had an answer to that would satisfy him. _What could possibly make Ichigo, this Ichigo, become a Shinigami?_ Then she had an idea. "Because if you don't you may end up hurting people with your reiatsu."

That certainly got Ichigo's attention. His eyebrows rose in surprise and he looked into Rukia's violet eyes to see if she was lying. As far as he could tell she wasn't but…there was something more to it than that. He opened his mouth to say something but she spoke again, cutting him off before he could say anything.

"You think about it. I have to go pay for my room." With that, Rukia disappeared.

_No…she didn't disappear. That's not physically possible. High speed movement?_ Ichigo figured mentally. _At any rate, what do I do? _

The orange-haired teen wandered back towards the inn slowly. While he walked he considered what he should do. By the time he got to the inn he had made his decision. He walked in to see Rukia waiting for him. She didn't say anything so he took a deep breath and gave her his answer.

"Fine. I'll become a Shinigami."


	4. Chapter Three

**Hey there! Sorry for the delay but I had a bit of trouble with this chapter. ^^; I hope I got it to sound better in the end. As for the real Bleach, wasn't this week's manga chapter totally unfair with that cliffhanger? So frustrating! **

**Disclaimer: Bleach and its characters aren't mine, but this story is.**

**Pairings: IchiRuki, others thrown in for fun.**

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_To Protect One Thing_

Rukia's lips twitched with the effort not to show her satisfaction that Ichigo had, once again, proved why he deserved the admiration of most of the Gotei 13. Even when he was no doubt confused as to why he was being asked to be a Shinigami he was thinking of others. His…subordinates? Such a strange thought...and yet it was not unthinkable.

_If he manages to regain his bankai he could become a Captain. If he can pull together a bunch of delinquents, what could he do with the Ninth Squad? Or the Fifth? _Rukia wondered for a moment.

Much to Rukia's chagrin, Ichimaru Gin had been saved by Orihime. While he hadn't been given his former rank back, Rukia figured it was only a matter of time. If people learned to trust him, that was.

_I can__'__t even say __'__again__'__ because most people didn__'__t trust him in the first place,_ she observed mentally.

Even those that had trusted the man before couldn't anymore, even if he had betrayed Aizen. Or rather, had never betrayed Matsumoto Rangiku. Rukia still wasn't sure if the Tenth Squad's Lieutenant was more upset that Ichimaru left to protect her or that he had nearly died.

Rukia firmly brought herself out of her own thoughts and addressed Ichigo. "Alright, we might as well get going then." She already had her things ready and had paid for the night.

"Just like that?" Ichigo asked in surprise. She had said she was going to pay for her room but…still. He wasn't quite prepared to just rush off like that.

"Just like that," she agreed easily. Then she put on her best haughty look and asked, "Chickening out?"

"Am not! It's just very sudden, is all!" And then, without really knowing why, Ichigo felt the desire to strike back playfully. "I'm sure a _kid_ like you would know _all_ about chickening out."

"How many times do I have to say it? I. Am. Not. A. Kid!" Rukia's response was heated initially but as she realized what had just happened she shook her head and smiled fondly. Just like old times.

Ichigo was too preoccupied to notice her smile at the sudden feeling of familiarity, both with Rukia herself and their bantering. His scowl deepened as he thought but couldn't come up with any reason behind it. He didn't mention any of his feelings to the Shinigami.

Rukia sighed, pretending to be disgruntled. "Fine, fine. Go do…whatever it is you have to do. I have to pick something up anyways." _Urahara__'__s going to get his silly bread,_ she thought with dry amusement, _and I__'__ll make sure it__'__s the hardest bread that he__'__s ever felt._

"Meet me here in…oh never mind. I'll be done soon so I'll just come find you," she added as an afterthought.

Ichigo stared at her, genuinely curious about just how she would be able to find him. "How?"

"Reiatsu, reiatsu," Rukia replied absentmindedly as she headed past him to the door of the inn. As she walked out to find what she was looking for Ichigo watched her contemplatively. _Reiatsu is really that special? _He wondered as he left the inn.

Ichigo made his way towards his gang's hideout. _Will I be able to learn how to control my reiatsu or whatever? I can__'__t even tell that I have any,_ he thought with a hint of annoyance. If he did learn would they stop him from coming back here, to where he was needed? The only reason he was going was to protect his family - the members of his gang - from himself.

He stepped into the hideout and felt relief that most of his gang seemed to be alright, judging by how few of them were sitting in the large open part of the building. Half a dozen people were sitting against the wall, drinking sake and playing cards. Hideaki, the man who had gagged Kita Sora earlier, was tending to a three men in the middle.

"Yo," Ichigo said in greeting. Unanimously, his gang looked to him when he made his presence known. There were various greetings by the different members and he waved a dismissive hand.

He approached Hideaki and placed a hand on the man's shoulder while he worked on one of his own injuries. "Hm?" Wakahisa Hideaki was a man of few words but he was brilliant. He acted as something of a second in command for Ichigo. That was why he needed to talk to him.

Ichigo drew them away from the others and looked his friend in the eyes. "I'm leaving. Rukia - the Shinigami - said I should train to be a Shinigami," he said without preamble.

The black-haired man showed no surprise. Instead he said, "I knew this day would come. Only people with reiatsu get hungry, you know. You complain about it often enough." There was some amusement in the tone and Hideaki shook his head.

"Shut up!" Ichigo snapped, though Hideaki could tell there was no real anger in it. Ichigo looked serious as he added, "Take care of them." He made no emotional goodbyes, no promises to come back. He trusted Hideaki and his gang could take care of themselves.

"You finally done?" Ichigo heard a familiar voice say from the entrance. At once all the gang members were up on their feet, ready to face the perceived threat. Rukia looked at them incredulously. "Jumpy," she muttered quietly. Ichigo and Hideaki were the only ones to hear her.

"What is that?" Ichigo asked, eyes catching on the bag in her hand. The others would calm down if he stayed calm. To his surprise Rukia grinned.

"Bread." Her pleased tone had Hideaki raising an eyebrow in amusement and Ichigo grinned.

"Must be some good bread," Ichigo commented, wondering why it made her so happy.

"Oh, the best. I look forward to using it," she told him, walking back out. Her voice drifted back to him over her shoulder again. "Come on."

'_Use it__'__? Not eat it? Weird girl._ Ichigo felt a hand on his shoulder as he went to follow her. Hideaki wasn't one for sappy goodbyes either so he merely nodded to show his support and let go of Ichigo's shoulder. The orange-haired teen nodded back before leaving the building.

After a while of walking in surprisingly comfortable silence, Ichigo decided to speak up.

"Hey Rukia?"

"What?"

"Why are you so eager to get back?"

Rukia stopped her quick walk so fast that Ichigo ran into her back. He expected her to fall due to the impact but she was apparently stronger than she looked. Or she had been expecting it.

She turned her head to glance at him and sighed. "Oh, alright, we'll take a break," the violet eyed Shinigami said. She would not admit she was eager to get him back to Soul Society and find out what was going on.

"Wha - what? No, I didn't mean -"

"On second thought, we better stop for the night. It's going to get dark soon anyways."

Ichigo spluttered in confusion for a moment until Rukia turned her cool gaze on him and he subsided with a sigh. He'd really only meant to strike up a conversation with the woman he was so oddly drawn to, not hint that she should slow down. He wasn't weak. He could have kept going for much longer.

"I'll go get some fire wood," he said, trying to fill the sudden awkward silence.

"No need," Rukia said easily, grinning slightly. She sat down and held out a hand palm up. "I can just do -" She didn't even appear to need to concentrate to make a glowing, pale blue orb float above her hand. It let out a surprising amount of light. "- this." It was a simple trick she had learned during her days in Rukongai with Renji.

"Amazing," Ichigo muttered under his breath. He didn't want to reveal that he thought much of her little…glowing thing. As it flickered out of existence (it was too early to need a fire, or magic light source in this case) he sat down across from her.

Rukia pretended not to hear what Ichigo said. She watched him sit down and lay his sword next to him. Her gaze remained on the sword long enough for Ichigo to ask, "What?"

"It's rare for someone in Rukongai to have a katana. Where did you get yours?"

"I'm not sure. When I…woke up it was with me." Ichigo wasn't really sure why he had woken up in what he'd learned was the Thirty-fourth Division of a place called Rukongai.

Although Rukia already knew he didn't remember anything she had to make it seem like she didn't. She started slowly, as if wary of the subject. She always had been a good actress. "The innkeeper's wife told me that you…don't have a name? Is that true?"

Ichigo searched her violet eyes for a moment before shrugging as if it didn't matter, that it didn't bother him at all. "Don't remember if I do or not. All I remember is waking up in that place."

Rukia forced a frown on her face. "I see. A lot of people here forget most of their past life but -"

"Wait! What! Past life?" Ichigo was confused. What past life.

Crap. She should have thought of it sooner. After all, she hadn't realized Soul Society was a place of death at first either. She'd had arrived as a baby so there were no memories of a past life at all. When she had first found out it had been shocking as well.

Rukia sighed heavily and pulled out her sketchbook and a few markers. "Listen up, I'll only explain this once," she warned him. She forced herself to ignore Ichigo's perplexed expression.

_Why did she bring that out? Better yet, where'd she get it from! Hey, now that I think about it, the bread is gone too…_. Ichigo thought as Rukia drew couple pictures on a few pages of the sketchbook.

She suddenly held the first picture up in front of him and his left eye twitched. _What the hell is wrong with her drawings? Is that supposed to be this place?_ Evidently so. "This place is known as Soul Society and is made up of Seireitei and Rukongai. This is a world that souls come to when they die in the Real World." She flipped the page to show a little bunny soul leaving a bunny body.

"This is probably pretty confusing since you don't have any memories of the Real World -"

"The only thing confusing me are your drawings," he cut her off dryly, though his statement wasn't really true. He was still confused. One look at her expression told him he probably shouldn't have said that. Rukia closed the sketchbook and whacked him upside the head with it. She had better sense than to throw it. How creeped out would he be if he saw all her doodles of him in rabbit form?

Thankfully for Ichigo this seemed to calm her down enough that he felt he could risk speaking. He was trying to ignore how oddly familiar the situation felt. "That's great and all but what does it matter to me?"

Rukia had not lost herself to nostalgia. She shook her head at his question. "I'm not sure why, but you have no memories of the Real World at all, and yet you have decent reiatsu. Generally, the more reiryoku you have the more you remember about your past life. Most people that don't have any at all at least remember their names and the fact that they once lived."

She paused to let the information sink in before saying, "Well anyways, you need a name. No one at the Shinou Academy is going to want to call you 'boss.'"

"Ehhh…call me whatever you want. I don't care."

"Ichigo, then," Rukia said quickly.

Ichigo immediately began to protest. "Ichigo? Really? You couldn't think of anything besides a fruit? Besides, my hair is orange, not red!"

While he protested the name he said she could give him Rukia was using her fingers to write the kanji for the name in the dirt. "What happened to not caring? Besides, it's not the fruit. Look here." Since the sun had sunk ever lower in the sky she made the glowing orb with her reiatsu again to illuminate the name.

"You choose what you want to protect."

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**Well, there you have it. I debated with myself for a while about keeping Gin alive in this story. In then end I decided I could let myself have some fun with it and kept him. I just love his character too much (though he still has nothing on Hitsugaya 3). I already have a few ideas what to do with him and whatnot.**

**As for Ichigo's name, the kanji used for his name is not the kanji for strawberry. I remember when it was said that his name means 'to protect one thing' so if you were wondering about that, there you go. **

**Lastly, thanks everyone for your support so far! I'm glad you're enjoying it! Until next time! 3**


	5. Chapter Four

**Hello~ This chapter is slightly shorter but I had a bit of trouble with it. Also...I really hate this site's formatting sometimes. If it looks weird it's because I gave up trying to fix it. -.-**

**Disclaimer: Bleach isn't mine, but this story is.**

**Pairings: IchiRuki, others thrown in for fun. **

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_Nightmare_

Ichigo eyed the written name before shrugging. "Whatever."

Rukia smiled slightly before stopping the glow. "Go to bed, Ichigo. We've got a ways to go yet so you'll need your energy."

"'M not tired," he mumbled but laid down anyways. Rukia pretended to go to bed as well but when she heard his breathing fall into a pattern of sleep and his reiatsu began to leak out even more she sat up. She watched Ichigo silently. It was probably lucky that he was in Soul Society at all considering it had taken his soul a while to arrive.

When Rukia went to get the bread she had also asked the baker more about Ichigo. He had died a month and a little over a week ago but he'd only been in Soul Society for a month, maybe a bit less. Most souls went to Soul Society within a day, some of the one with considerable reiatsu took a couple of days. It had to do with the density of their soul, so to speak.

She had never heard of a soul taking as long as Ichigo's had to arrive. If it took that long…they normally didn't arrive at all. Some souls simply got lost. _A memory-less Ichigo is better than none_, she decided.

Rukia was not unaware of the fact that her bond with Ichigo was deep. She had felt intense fear any time he fought and deep sadness when he was injured. She felt his death more keenly than she had Ukitake's death. That in itself was unusual; Ukitake had been like a father to her. So, yes, she knew Ichigo was important to her, but why?

Rukia noticed a Ichigo's expression change while he slept and she frowned. He normally had a peaceful expression on his face when he slept but he was scowling at that moment. "A dream?" She asked the night air.

_Ichigo was in a house. His house. He wasn__'__t sure how he knew that since he was fairly sure he__'__d never seen the place before. He was on the floor with his hands trapped behind his back._

"_Can__'__t you hear its loud-ass voice! Ain__'__t that the monster!__"__ He yelled at a familiar woman. Rukia sat in front of him, confusion showing in her eyes. She began to ask him something when a haunting scream interrupted her. Her expression gave way to surprise and she was immediately on her feet._

_There was a crash and a human scream from downstairs and Ichigo knew that his family was in trouble. He found he could move his arms freely again and ran downstairs._

_Then the scene changed and Rukia was standing between himself and a monster. She was protecting him, getting injured because of him. She pushed the Hollow back with her sword before collapsing on the street, blood from her wound soaking her Shihakushou._

"_You fool__…"_

_The next moment he was standing in front of Rukia, hands wrapped around her katana. __"__I__'__m__…__Kurosaki Ichigo.__"__ He helped her thrust the sword into his heart as the monster charged at them._

Ichigo bolted upright suddenly, glancing around him. No home, no family, no monsters…but Rukia was there. She was looking at him with concern. His breathing was heavy and his hand drifted towards his heart to make absolutely sure that it had been just a dream. It was so realistic.

He didn't know what scared him more…the fact that he was the cause of Rukia's injuries in his nightmare or that he let her stab him. That he had to try and figure out which was worse scared him even more.

"Ichigo?" Rukia asked hesitantly.

"I'm fine." Did she really expect a different answer? No, not really. It was Ichigo after all. What he asked next did surprise her. "Do I know you?"

Violet eyes blinked in surprise and she frowned. "Um…."

"I mean from that…Real World or whatever. Did I know you there?" Ichigo clarified.

Rukia's eyes widened and she looked away for a moment. "No."

"You're not lying?"

"No, I'm not. I've never met you before." She met his eyes that time and he seemed to accept it. "Now go back to sleep Ichigo."

Despite the rapid beating of her heart and her runaway thoughts - _Did I give something away? Did he remember something?_ - Rukia turned her back to him and laid down to sleep.

Ichigo had to wait a while to settle his nerves before going back to sleep. There were no more dreams that night for either of them.

They travelled in awkward silence after they woke. It was so quiet aside from their footsteps that they could almost hear their thoughts.

Ichigo was thinking about his dream. Rukia was thinking about Ichigo's question and silence. Finally, Ichigo broke the oppressive silence. "We can move faster than this," he offered.

Rukia merely shook her head. If they went faster they risked getting to Seireitei at a decent hour. Normally that would be a good thing but she didn't really want to risk running into anyone who knew Ichigo…which was essentially everyone in the Gotei Thirteen. "No, this pace is fine."

There was silence again for a bit and Rukia wondered, _If I hadn't lost my powers and needed his skills would it have been like this between us? I don't know what to say to him._

"You said you needed me…why?" Ichigo asked, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"We had a war recently. A lot of good people died," she responded, unable to quite keep her remorse out of her voice. The man next to her had been one of the casualties.

"I'm sorry."

_You have nothing to be sorry about,_ Rukia thought bitterly, _it was my fault for involving you in the first place. _"It's just the price we had to pay to win. A lot of people survived."

"That's bullshit," Ichigo ground out. She made it sound like sacrificing lives for the greater good was okay.

"That's what it means to be a Shinigami. You accept death, you don't fear it."

"So basically you're afraid of life," he observed carelessly.

Rukia paused for a half a second before she actually laughed slightly. "Considering we're already dead, to become one of the living means we must die in this world." So, essentially, that was true.

It took Ichigo a moment to work out what she said but when he did he chuckled too. What a twisted world. "Tell me more about this war."

So Rukia explained about Aizen's betrayal, the fights with the Arrancar, and about Aizen's eventual defeat. Occasionally Ichigo asked more about certain battles. He had the oddest sense that he understood the Shinigami Rukia talked about. "So, who killed the bastard?" Oh yes, she'd conveniently left out Ichigo's participation.

With an inward sigh she said, "A great man."

"What happened to him?"

"He died."

"So you mean he lives," Ichigo stated, a faint smile pulling at his lips.

"No. I mean he died. He was a human, one of the living. Soul Society owes him a lot."

Ichigo was confused. _If Shinigami are meant to protect the humans then why did a human save all of Soul Society?_ It made no sense to him at all.

They travelled again in silence, only occasionally breaking the slightly more companionable silence that fell between them. They never had relied too much on words with each other; actions had always been more than enough. They did so enjoy their bantering though.

"Yeah, well, your hair is funny. How does it manage to stay up like that?"

"How should I know? At least I'm not a midget."

"I am _not_ a midget. You're just a freak."

"You're jealous."

"Of a talent-less lug like you?" Rukia did her little glowing ball trick again to prove her point.

Ichigo scowled. "I have talent. Just because I haven't learned it yet -"

"You can't do it."

"Wanna bet?" He asked confidently.

He raised his hand and began to focus…only to be hit in the back of the head. "Let's keep going. You'll learn at the Academy anyways," Rukia told him.

"You're just afraid I'd be better at it than you," he muttered. She shook her head, though there was a fond smile on her face. Banter came naturally to the two and was rarely ill-intentioned.

When they finally did get to Seireitei it was late evening and the sun was setting. _Good,_ Rukia thought, _At this time most people will either still be working or long gone at the bars._

"So this is Seireitei," Ichigo mused as they walked one of the lesser used paths towards the Academy. No harm in being extra careful to avoid people. Rukia simply nodded as she focused on the sudden flare of reiatsu ahead.

What was _he _doing there?

"We're taking a detour," she told Ichigo. He looked a little surprised but followed her.

"Is it about that…that energy spike or whatever?" The orange-haired teen asked.

Rukia blinked and nodded. "You felt it?"

"Yeah." His seemingly permanent scowl deepened. "You have it too, but it's kind of hard to tell right now."

Rukia was pleased. "That's because I'm suppressing it. Too many other people around with strong reiatsu for you to really notice mine."

"I see…." He was even more curious about whoever that strange reiatsu belonged to.

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**So, for a little something different...y'all get to have a say this time to make up for the slight cliffy. ;) Who do you guys want to meet up with Ichigo and Rukia?**


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Bleach, Romance