Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Bleach, just the plot and my character, Kaede.

I met the twins on my first day of elementary school. They were quiet, holding hands, as if the contact between them was the only thing that kept them safe. A shock of snowy white hair and a burning head of orange locks are what I remember the most about seeing them for the first time. The next thing I remember is the white haired boy shoving me out of my seat so he could sit next to his sibling. Of course, I had burst into tears and cried into the teacher's skirt. I vaguely have a memory of hearing her reprimand him. But it was during recess that we actually met.

I had been playing four squares with a few other girls from my class. From my place in my hard earned queen square, I heard yelling by the swings. The orange haired one sat on the ground, cradling his knee to his chest like it was hurt or something. His twin stood in front of him protectively, hands clenched into fists. A few bigger boys from another class jeered at them. I couldn't really hear what they said, but I didn't miss seeing the pale boy take a handful of sand and launching it into his tormentors face.

A sharp slap of rubber against my cheek brought me back to earth, in my little square, surrounded by my new friends. The ball bounced, hit the ground a second time, and I was out. I allowed myself a moment of sadness for my lost ranking. Some of the girls I was playing with asked if I was all right, and I nodded vacantly. My gaze drifted to the scene I had been focused on moments before, only to find the upperclassmen coming towards us. I exited the white chalk square to hear their angry mutterings of crazy haired freaks. I looked for said freaks and found them where they had been before. I quickly debated approaching them when I saw the orange haired boy wipe at his eyes (he will always deny he did so though).

The next part of my story is a bit of a blur. I remember running to the teacher, telling her something along the lines of, 'Oh my god, someone chopped off their hands, I need band aids, no, you don't need to go, its okay, I got this.' A undetermined amount of time later, I was staring at the twins as they lay huddled together in the sand. While a bit hesitant to approach (see, I hadn't forgotten the painful shove earlier that morning (and I never let him live it down)), I knew that this was the right thing to do. It helped my child self to actually take action with the thought that my Grandmama would make me cookies for it later.

They were quiet when I approached, which I took as a good sign. If they had been screaming, crying, or throwing rocks around, then I would have been concerned. But they were just sitting there, close but not touching. I felt weird, not knowing their names, so I wasn't quite sure how to approach them. So I settled for doing what I usually do. I blurt out the first though that comes to mind.

"You look like you had an accident with a blender."

There was a pause where they both looked at me like I took a few too many crazy pills. I fell into the sand in front of them, the grains stinging the delicate skin of my knee. The orange haired kid had a bloody knee. The red trailed down the tan skin in thickening rivulets, slowly clotting. His twin, however, had a bloody nose, probably from that big kids reaction for his trick with the sand. Thinking back on it all now, it was almost like a sign. 'WARNING: VIOLENT CHIDREN. DO NOT APPROACH.' Well, shit, I've gone and approached them, haven't I?

I held out my goodies to them, grinning cheekily. "I got you some stuff," I said proudly, unembarrassed by their stares. When they made no move to accept them, I frowned, and scooted closer, trying to show off my catch. "I got some band aids, 'cause that's all the teacher had. There's a red one, a blue one, oh, this ones green, and a-" I stopped short, staring in disgust at the pink bandage. In my child mind, touching pink was the equivalent to touching dog poop. "Gross," I grumbled, and tossed it over my shoulder to disappear into the sand, never to be found. Yup, they were still staring, which I pointedly ignored. "Anyway, I got different sizes too, since I wasn't sure how bad the big kids beat you up, so-"

The orange haired kid, taking the blue bandage from my open palm, interrupted me. "Thanks," he said, peeling the paper delicately from the bandage and applying the adhesive with practiced ease.

"So, um…" I scratched the back of my neck, suddenly feeling incredibly awkward. Whitey stared at me expectantly when I paused, wiping the blood from his face with the back of his hand. "What are your guys' names?" Unconsciously, I began to twirl a strand of brown hair.

The two boys glanced at me, at each other, then back to me. The boy with orange locks spoke up first. "Ichigo," he said shyly, giving me a soft smile. When his counterpart did not volunteer his own name, Ichigo elbowed him on the arm.

He made another face and rubbed his bruised arm. "Hichigo."

I blinked at him owlishly. "Your name sucks." I'm not gonna lie, I was feeling pretty antagonistic that day.

"Hey! It's not like I picked it, ya weirdy!" He growled at me. I couldn't help the laughter from bubbling out of my throat. Imagine a cute little bunny rabbit, big eyes and everything, waving a fist at you threateningly. And that was him.

Hichigo huffed, looking away and crossing his arms. He mumbled something I couldn't hear, and I just laughed harder. "Well, what's your name?" He taunted.

"I'm Kaede," I said, almost thoughtlessly. I moved the bandages to one hand and held out my open palm to shake. "Nice to meetchya."

Ichigo's hand wrapped round my own, enveloping the digits in warmth. "I like your name!" He said. "I think it suits you."

"Pfft, sounds like a freak name if you ask me."

"But no one asked you, Hichigo," I said sweetly.

"Why, you- !"

Meeting the Kurosaki twins was the catalyst to the rest of my life. I can't imagine living without them now. What would I have done? Gone on to be… I don't know, normal? God, the mere thought makes me want to vomit. They're my boys, and I will always be there for them just as they have always been there for me. When I started dance, they came to every stupid recital. When they started learning martial arts (and began using them irresponsibly), I went to every tournament and every fight to cheer them on. And band aids. I always brought lots of band aids. Once I broke my arm, and they carried my stuff for me too and from school for weeks. They are my best, and only. friends. Well, until I met Tensa.

Tensa, Tensa, Tensa… If the twins were white, Tensa would be black. He was a total opposite to the boys, calm and collected, wise beyond his years. And normal looking. I met him after Ichigo and Hichigo did. Our fateful meeting took place a few years later. I had been sitting with the twins friends at lunch, picking moodily at my sandwich. If you couldn't guess, I usually sat (and still sit) between Ichigo and Hichigo, but they had been stuck at home sick that day. It wasn't that I didn't like the kids I sat with, honestly! Some of them now are really good friends of mine. But you know… the twins introduced me to them all, so I always felt a bit like the odd one out.

There was Orihime, who was really sweet, and Tatsuki. Tatsuki took the same martial arts class as the boys. Keigo and Mizuro could be really annoying, mainly Keigo, and then there was Chizuro who talked. A lot. They were all okay people, though Orihime could be a bit spacey and Mizuro was on his phone a majority of the time.

Anyway.

I remember feeling a sort of tingle going down my spine, and I whirled around. A boy walked into the cafeteria, long hair down to his shoulders and tangled in front of his eyes. I watched with some interest as he walked from table to table, his lunch held between his pale hands, searching for a place to sit. Girls would shake their heads at him and laugh while boys would smirk. My curious stare melted into a frown as I watched him get rejected from table after table.

Now, I was a child then – in fact, I am still a child. Personality wise, anyway. So, seeing all the other kids reject him… kind of made me want to reject him too. I had two open seats beside me. So I had no real reason to dislike him other than the pressure from the other kids.

Slamming my fork onto the table, I stood, hobbling over the bench. Orihime opened her mouth to say something, but I was too busy grumbling about how my school social life was about to plummet. Grandmama would have been ashamed of me, if she had known what I was thinking. Everyone deserved a chance, and who cares what other people thought? I do, I thought mournfully. But I still reached out, pulling on his shirt sleeve. Sky blue eyes widened as he took me in.

"Hey, come sit with me," I said bluntly. I pulled him with me as I started to walk. Ugh ugh ugh.

"What?" He started, pulling back. I just tugged harder, and he followed obediently. I sat him down at the table and took my own seat beside him, hating how the eyes of my peers stared into my soul. I don't like people looking into my soul! Its not okay! It freaks me out!

I angrily stabbed my sandwich.

Kiego opened his fat mouth, asking, "Kaede, did you just pull a random stranger over to our lunch table?"

I'm pleased to say that my glower made him cringe in fear. "Yes," I snapped. Something wrong with that?" He shook his head, going back to his food. Eventually, people resumed their talking, and when they did, I turned to my newly adopted friend.

"What's your name?" I asked.

He blinked at me, and I awkwardly shoved my bangs away from my eyes. They drifted back into place in moments, and I blew air at them.

"Tensa Zangetsu," He said quietly. Poking at his food, he avoided looking at me. "Um… may I ask-"

"No." I stopped him.

Cue adorably lost look. "But-"

"Shh," I placed a finger on his lips, silencing him. Tensa's eyes widened, and I gave a smile. "Enjoy the moment." I resumed my meal, as did he. Eventually, he was drawn into the other kids conversations, and when the meal was over, Tensa walked away with Mizuro beside him, talking about video games or something ridiculous like that.

As I walked back to class, I patted him on the back. "Welcome to the family," I grinned. And then I walked away, becaue who doesn't love a dramatic exit?

And he was welcomed into our little family. Though he was quieter than me, more reserved than Ichigo, and sometimes had sarcastic quips that put Hichigo to shame, he fit in like ice in a snowstorm. At the time, I hadn't even known how close he was to the Kurosaki twins. Tensa's father, whom we all just call Old Man Zangetsu, and his uncle, Engetsu (whom I have never met), went to college with the twins father. I guess they all use to be friends before they went their separate ways. The four of us often hung out together at the Kurosaki household, playing games and being stupid while their parents talked in the kitchen.

I never knew my mother. When I was born, there was some damage to her internal organs. She died soon after I took my first breath. All I have ever known of her is the rare photo and her clothes (my father insisted that I would wear them when I was bigger, no matter the fashion sense). I can only think of three photos of my mother. One was of her and my Grandmother, both black haired with black eyes. She had dimples when she smiled. The other was of her and my father, contrasting figures in every sense of the word – he had pale blond, disheveled hair and grey eyes. The last picture was the last one ever taken. My mother, holding a screaming child, eyes crescent shapes as she smiled.

She died soon after.

I grew up without much of a mother figure. So, as I spent more and more time at the twins house, I slowly found myself making Misaki, Ichigo and Hichigo's mother, my own maternal figure. If I have ever felt motherly affection, it was from that woman. She taught me how to cook and made cake for my birthday. When someone said anything bad about me, she set me in her lap and brushed my hair, cheering me up. The boys would try and make me feel better to, but them bringing me the teeth of their newest victim isn't exactly happy material.

Misaki's death is what changed the four of us to who we are today. Obviously, the twins were devastated. Hichigo turned rabid, skipping school and picking fights with big kids. He distanced himself from everyone, refusing to speak and hiding up in his room.

Ichigo, in his turn, stepped up. He took care of his baby sisters while Isshin was at work. He use to be a bit of a crybaby. Now, he was tough. It was hard for anyone to become friends with him, seeing how distant he was. Talking to him was like talking to a wall. But while Hichigo became quick to anger, Ichigo became patient, compassionate, and his protective streak shot through the roof.

Tensa vanished for about a month. I think, like me, he had come to view Misaki as his mother too. He was the same kid that I met in the crowded cafeteria except for his eyes. The blue hues reminded me more of ice then they did a clear sky.

I, myself, don't remember much of those dark days after her passing. But I do remember being alone. My only friends had vanished in their own greif and I remember being so sad. I was young, only nine years old, and I couldn't comprehend the fact that my friends weren't there for me. It was then I first contemplated suicide.

Nine! Nine years old, what was I thinking! I was selfish, I freely admit. I still am today. I look back sometimes, and I want to slap myself. But I had no friends, no mother, a sick grandmother, and an absent father. I had felt as though I had no escape, that I was doomed to be lonely forever. I know, god do I know, that was not the case. But at the time it felt true.

As the days passed, my cheery and upbeat personality diminished, only to reappear in rare bursts. I became more independent with my guardians absence, at home and at school. With the twins and Tensa absent, it was up to me to defend myself against bullies (Yes, I was bullied, sorry about that). It got to a point were I was just there.

And it took a long time for things to get back to normal. Even then, a part of my heart didn't trust the boys. I think I may have become a bit cynical, believing that they would just up and disappear again, leaving me alone.

However, I was surprised. After dodging a particularly vicious boy, I was running through the halls, eyeing and escape route, for obvious reasons when he trapped me into a corner.

Real quick, you may wonder why I was bullied. I'm such a cute, happy individual, why would anyone pick on me? Because I am a unique, awkward, loud person, dumb ass, and don't follow the crowd on purpose. People don't like people who are different, you know? It also doesn't help that I'm best friends with one of the most antagonistic boys on campus. Hichigo, I'm talking about you. This is your fault.

Anyway, running through the halls, escape, bullies, ect. Though in my sixth year of schooling (I think it was sixth), I had yet managed to look like one, another cause for teasing. As I gripped my books to my chest, trying to melt into the wall behind me, I accepted the fate of my most likely ruined copy of The Hobbit and a couple of bruises. But then a shock of white hair blocked my vision.

"Hey!" He drawled. I could imagine the sneer on his face. "Why don't you pick on somebody your own size"

I flinched when an arm draped itself around my shoulders. "Yeah," said Ichigo, eyes hard. "Picking on little girls doesn't exactly seem like my idea of a good time." I was caught between wanting to stab him for calling me a little girl or crying because thank god someone came to rescue me. Does that make me sound like a pansy? If it does, then I swear, no tears fell from my eyes.

Footsteps alerted me to the arrival of the final member of our party. I watched him as he leaned against the lockers on the other side of the hall, staring blankly. And let me tell you, Tensa has a pretty blank look. Its creepy as hell.

My antagonist huffed, mumbled something not particularly pleasant, and made to leave. He would have too, had he not run into a conveniently located foot, which just so happened to be attached to Tensa's leg. After a shocking spurt of blood, a girlish scream (I swear it wasn't me), and a couple of curse words a sixth year should never know, the five of us were called to the principles office and promptly given two weeks of detention.

And suddenly, things seemed normal again. Well, as normal as it can get with those three as friends.

As the four of us grew up, we got closer. I know those three boys like the back of my hand, and they knew me better than they probably know themselves. There was never an awkward moment between us. Well, except for that one time in our freshman year of high school I accidently walked in on them watching a porno. Actually, Hichigo was watching with rapt attention, Ichigo looked like a tomato (I don't think he even knew what sex was), and poor Tensa was hiding his face in a pillow. You know what? That moment wasn't even awkard, it was downright mortifying.

That moment ruined my life. Mainly because that was when I started seeing them as boys and men rather than buds. I mean, you can't be best friends with three extraordinary boys (in looks and personality) and not notice them like that. It simply can't be done. I plead for anyone in my position to try. Well, if you bat for the other team, it might be a bit easier, but anyway.

But this revelation had a hand in what comes next. I've never been good with words (if you can't tell), but I will try my best.

After all, its not everyday that a shinigami tells you that you're not supposed to exist.