This is mostly a oneshot, but if you guys like it (some good feedback) I might continue it. I have some ideas, but it all depends on what you think! Please review!

Memories of the Wind

The raven haired, violet-eyed teen lay on her back in the grass, silently enjoying the sun, the warm summer wind, and just generally the weather.

She would giggle to herself every time she thought of herself that way, as a teen, as she was, despite her youthful appearance, far from one. At well over a century old, she had seen her fair share of life. But she had a lot more to live.

Sighing, she rolled onto her side, then onto her stomach; annoyed, she reached behind herself and scratched her back to rid it of a few spiky holly leaves. Damn things, she thought, always sticking into everything. First my bare feet, then my back. What's next? Eventually deciding that there was nothing she could do about it, she flopped her hand back in front of her face and plucked a strand of grass. Twirling it between slender fingers, she continued pondering the length of lives, both her own and those of her close friends.

She certainly had quite a while longer, considering the fact that she was technically dead, and enjoying this world, the real world, through a gigai. Renji, her oldest friend, and Byakuya, her brother, and all of her other friends in the Seireitei had nothing to worry about as far as she knew in the way of life. Hmmm... Her thoughts then turned to her more human friends.

There was Chad and Ishida and Orihime and... Ichigo. What would happen if they lived out their human lives and were reincarnated in Rukongai? Would they retain their memories? Would they be reborn as young children or more elderly souls? Hopefully, they would return as they had been, and still were, in their prime: strong, healthy teens. Who just happened to have "super" powers.

Maybe they could just come to the Seireitei in the next few years, she thought. That would probably be best in the way of making sure they were the same people. But what of their families? She didn't know much of Chad's relatives. Orihime's parents had died when she was young, and her brother had died more recently, and returned as a hollow. Ishida's mother was a mystery to Rukia. And as far as she knew, he wasn't all to friendly with his father.

But then, there was Ichigo. He was on relatively good terms with his father, despite their frequent fights, and two loving younger sisters. It would be hard for him to leave. He had a bit of a complex, in protecting people. By now, she had long since begun to chew on a grass stem and doodle in the dirt. Well, that's one of the things she loved about him. She-

Froze, staring off into space. Her wandering finger stopped in its tracks. Loved? Had she just used the words 'love' and 'Ichigo' in the same phrase? No, she told herself, it was just a fluke. She had meant liked. As a friend. Or that's what she had managed to partially convince herself before her eyes slipped down, to glance at her doodle.

She did a double-take, and on the second look, she froze one more, as if struck by Hyorinmaru's shikai form. What she had absentmindedly traced was the initials IK+RK, enclosed by a heart. She hastily rubbed it out with her palm, frowning at her now brown hand, and the dirt smudge it had left behind in the grassy patch.

"Damn that Strawberry," she muttered, standing up and brushing her hands on her jeans.

While busy with this now important task, a small movement caught her eye. Swiftly looking up, she saw nothing at first. Confused, she looked harder, more closely. She was sure the movement had come from that spot. A vague, blurry outline steadily appeared under her scrutiny.

But... That was all she could get. Just an outline. She cocked her head, utterly befuddled. It had to be a soul, she decided. Maybe she would be able to see it more clearly if she...

She pulled out a small pill, popping it into her mouth. She stood a little more confidently, now that she was in her shinigami form, her true form. She pulled Sode no Shirayuki out of its sheath to perform konso after seeing that all that was more clear was the outline. It was sharper, more distinct now, and revealed that the figure was sitting cross-legged, and appeared to be watching her.

She shuddered. How long had it been staring at her?

She tightened her grip on her zanpakuto and began to advance. She stopped.

The soul was standing up, revealing that it was quite taller that she. She decided that it was male, and began to walk toward it again. Then froze, as if struck by her own ice-based zanpakuto.

She squinted and stared at the figure again, trying to see what she had thought was vaguely familiar...

Hair. The soul had spiky, ruffled hair. And just above his shoulder, something rose. Cocking her head, she realized that it was the handle of a large, knife-like sword.

She could swear that the man chuckled sadly as he walked towards her. Her mouth moved, but no words came forth. He was a few meters, now a few inches from her.

His strong arms wrapped around her in a somewhat loving embrace as he bent his head and whispered, "See ya around, midget." Then his embrace faded into a sudden wind, as did his presence.

"Ichi-Ichigo?" Rukia finally managed to force the word out. She looked around at the surrounding woodland for the fiery-haired shinigami, wondering if it had been a trick. Something told her it wasn't.

Then was Ichigo... What? What had that been?

She quickly used shunpo to traverse the forest, in a direction that she felt she had to go. Millions of possibilities flashed through her head, faster that the rightly names steps she was taking.

But the one reoccurring thought that had shoved itself to the front of her skull was that Ichigo was...

Dead.

Yeah, so whaddya think? Reviews are always appreciated :)

Thanks for reading!

-Flames