WAIT! READ "A COMING OF AGE STORY: THE FRITTLE" FIRST BEFORE PROCEEDING TO READ THIS STORY! I know it may seem tedious and rather boring to do so but I think it does explain some things about this world that I'm not really willing to explain in this story. Also, I think it enhances the enjoyment of this story to read the prequel first so that you are given a lot more information on Ichigo's childhood.

But if you've already read it, the go one ^^ Enjoy!

Chapter 1

It really has been four years, two months, and eleven days…

Autumn mornings were always sunny, though it was no surprise to anyone on Karakura. The leaves on the trees just outside of the school gates were green as ever, only rustling to the warm breeze that passed through. With the sun just barely peaking over the contours of the building, only few were awake at this time. There were shuffles and clacks as shoes swarmed around the halls, moving to get fliers for the new trimester lunch menu up before the morning bell.

"Thank you for your help Kurosaki-san." A spectacled boy said. He was holding a few fliers in his hands, shuffling them around every once in a while.

"No worries Uryuu," Ichigo said, patting the corners of a poster he had just taped up.

The boy sighed and readjusted his glasses. "I may be your classmate Kurosaki-san, but I am still the school president, you should at least address me as such."

"Yeah, yeah," Ichigo waved his hand dismissively, taking a flier from Uryuu's hands. "I'll go put these up on the other end of the school."

"Kurosaki-san, you really don't have-,"

"No, it's fine Uryuu," Ichigo said, waving the fliers in his hands. Disappearing around the corner, Uryuu sighed and again, readjusted his glasses.

A girl, auburn hair falling loosely down her back, came up beside him. A folder of papers of her own was held closely to her chest. She tapped a ballpoint pen against her thigh and cleared her throat in attempts of getting his attention. "Ishida-taichou," She addressed him, "Are there anymore fliers to be put up?"

He shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. Grunting, he readjusted his glasses and shrugged his shoulders.

"You just missed him you know," Uryuu said, taking the papers from her.

She tilted her head in confusion. "Who did I miss?"

"Kurosaki-san," he said. He shuffled through the papers, looking over the notes and forms that were marked as confidential; only for the school president, selected teacher officials, and the head of school were allowed to lay eyes on. "You just missed him. He's going to the other end of the school. I think you can catch him if you hurry."

She bit her lip, looking nervously down at the floor.

"Kurosaki-san just took the last of the fliers over there, I'm sure he'll need some help," Uryuu pressed on.

Seven high rings rang through the island, startling the girl. She jumped a little. Straightening herself out, she smoothed her gray school skirt and tucked a strand of fire like hair behind an ear. Other students would be showing up soon and swarming the halls. She backed away.

"I should be getting the council room ready for the lunch meeting today," She said bowing a little.

"Inoue-san," Uryuu sighed, "You are a very good vice president, but I can set up the council room on my own."

She smiled to him meekly. "No Ishida-taichou, I'm quite fine doing it. You should go check in with the teachers with those forms. Class will be starting in half an hour."

Giving a small bow, she walked off in the direction of the council room, leaving Uryuu to just sigh, again. Looking back down at the folder of papers in his hand, he paused on the second file. He read over the contents once, then twice. He shook his head, eyes narrowing. He closed the folder. Walking toward the teacher's lounge, he knocked on the door once and waited. After he heard a response to be allowed to enter, he slid the door open and stuck his head in.

"Sensei, I'd like to discuss one of the confidential forms you gave me to look over."

The teacher had been eating his breakfast out of a plastic bowl. He set it down carefully, giving his student a leveled look. "And that would be…"

"The transfer form that's in here."

The warm autumn air always blew too strong on the North end of the school. The breezes brought unnaturally humid heat around that area, almost unbearable to the usual dry heat of Ningen. Walking out to the back of that side of the building, Ichigo looked around for the water fountain. It was on his right. Turning on the water just a little bit, he bent down to grab a few sips.

"There you are!" A girl shouted.

Ichigo pulled himself up to a straighter position and saw a lantern eyed girl grinning at him. She danced around a bit and hopped her way over to his side. Throwing her arms over her head, she gave him a smug smirk.

"You were helping the student council out with the fliers? If you told me I would have offered to help to." She said to him. Twirling on the balls of her feet, she took a jump forwards, leaping onto the edge of the garden wall. "It's so hot and lonely over here, you don't have to be so useful all the time you know."

"It really isn't a worry," He assured her. "How'd you know I was here?"

She skipped around a bit, almost losing her balance on the edge. "Inoue told me. I caught her in the council room and asked her if she'd seen you. She was a little skittish at first but she said you were around this end of the school." Jumping down from the ledge, she took a place beside Ichigo and looked up at him, smiling. "Did you come by Urahara's this morning?"

Ichigo rubbed the top of his head, thinking. "Yeah, I passed by it I guess. Why? You know it's on my route home."

She looked away for a moment, lantern eyes embarrassed. "I know, I just didn't see you this morning so I thought you took a different route." She looked back at him, smiling again. "But I guess even so early you still like looking out to the sea huh?"

He gave a saddening smile and looked at nothing in particular. "I guess that's what you could say."

Her own smile faded, looking at his hazed eyes. She frowned a little. Noticing her disheartened expression, Ichigo immediately made a loud sighing sound, catching her off guard.

"Don't look like that," he told her. "C'mon, we should go to class."

Brightening again, she went onto her toes and started walking one step ahead of him, stumbling to keep up. "Only Class A students have to start so early."

"Ah," He nodded, "That's right huh?"

Walking back into the school together, she hopped up each step to the second floor. Swinging her arms about herself, she tipped her head and gave a double finger salute. "I'll find you at lunch, alright, Ichigo?"

"Alright," he waved her off. Walking up the stairs, he stopped mid step and looked back down. "Senna!"

Lantern eyes widen as she looked back at the call of her name. For a moment she didn't see anything else but him, calling her name with a hand reaching for her cheek. She could feel as the heat rose to her face and his finger tips just gently grazed her skin. Matching the fluttering in her stomach, she could feel his warmth even from that distance.

"I thought it'd be cruel to let you walk around with dirt on your face," he said tossing the dirt he had scraped off her face. A small ring went through the building, signaling five minutes till class. "I have to go."

Suddenly, the number of people making their way onto the stairs began to make their way into her vision. The warm autumn sent was pulled in with their jackets. Ichigo had already made his way up the stairs, no longer in her sight.

"Senna," a girl called. "You're here early as always. Class doesn't start for another half hour."

Biting her lip, she walked over. "Ah Riruka-chan, I was just hanging out with Ichigo."

Riruka rolled her eyes and gave Senna a smirk. "How did I already know the answer to that?"

Giving a laugh, she bounced onto her toes. Her lantern eyes were beaming with pride and excitement once again. "Let's head over to the classroom, I'm sure you have questions about last night's homework."

The girl gave a playful shove. "Don't brag! Not everyone has a Class A person to help with their homework practically every night."

Giving a guilty grin, Senna hopped onto one foot while the two made their way to the classroom.

Uryuu sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. The council meeting had already started and he hadn't bothered to addresses everyone as he usually did. The student council members all looked to their neighbors and then back at their president with concerned eyes. The council room was supposedly supposed to have the best spot in the entire school. Located on the fourth floor – top floor – on the South end, it rarely ever got too hot for comfort and never was too chilly. But the atmosphere in the room was uneasy, seeing their usually cool headed and composed president obviously stressing over something was unusual.

"Ishida-taichou," Orihime tried to grab his attention. "Ishida-taichou… everyone is here."

He sighed. "I apologize everyone." With extra effort, he pushed on the desk in front of him and stood. "I've discussed something with some of the teachers about something important that I must disclose to you all. The teachers hadn't wanted me to tell you, but I said that something this… let's say complicated, we'd need the full support of the student council. But I need to know that you have my trust that you will not say anything till you know it's right." He looked every member of the student council in the eyes.

"T-taichou…" One of the council members stuttered, "You're acting pretty serious, even for you."

Uryuu dropped his head and sighed. "It may sound like I'm playing games, but I'm not."

Orihime stood by his side, trying to telepathically comfort him. "When will we know that it is the right time to say something?"

"Trust me, Inoue," He stood straight again and looked over to her. "The moment will be rather obvious." Turning back to the council members, he shrugged his shoulders and cleared his throat. Putting on his more familiar student president face, he walked to the front of the desk, hands behind his back.

The members didn't dare shift their gaze away from their president. As hard faced their president could be, they respected him. It was a common admiration throughout the school, but if there were any people who appreciated his work more than any of the others, it was his student council.

"It has been confirmed the Karakura has decided to secretly harbor a citizen from Seishin."

He paused, allowing the information to sink in. The immediate reaction was something he had expected, shock and horror filled gasps, followed by worried murmurs. It had been a little over four years since the war had broken out, and Karakura and all of Ningen had done a rather good job at staying out of it. The news, without a doubt, was frightening. He waited for the room to be silent again. He didn't know how they would react to the next bit of information.

"And it has been confirmed that this citizen will be joining us among these halls as a fellow student."

And the room remained silent as the air around them seemed to thicken.

"Matte!"

Ichigo stopped and looked back over his shoulder. Senna, with her beaming lantern eyes, was running up to him, one hand holding her book bag while the other was held high in a sign of halt. She stopped just by his side, a wild grin on her face.

"Mind if I walk home with you?" She had noticed him from her class window on the second floor. She had waited half an hour after class to catch the Class A students when they were relieved from school. But Ichigo always helped out a little later with clubs that he wasn't actually affiliated with.

He shrugged.

"If I told you 'no' you'd do it anyways," He said indifferently.

She laughed. "You're probably right." Then throwing her hands behind her back, she stiffly walked keep up. "Urahara is making curry tonight, he asked me to invite you."

"Ah, he did?" Ichigo scratched the top of his head. "I think Yuzu is making curry tonight, too. And offence to Urahara, her's is much better."

To his response, though she felt a little disappointment, she threw her head back in laughter. "Okay, okay, I'll tell him."

Up alongside the road, the ocean was coming up into view. Slowly, his attention was pulled away from ahead of him, and instead next to him. She could no longer see his face as he stared out into the distance of the sea. Sunset, five low bells rang. He never had to walk this way, the main road was faster.

When they would walk along this path, even if it was slower to reach his house, he'd never look at anything but the ocean, as though looking for something. His amber eyes would shimmer, and reflect the sun like a mirror. She'd say it made him look nostalgic if the memory didn't seem so sad. Then there was always that unnerving silence that followed. She doubted he ever felt it. He'd hardly ever talk, because he'd be too busy searching for that something out there. He'd be searching for that something among the crest of the waves, or the line of the horizon, or perhaps that little bird that just flew like a silhouette across the setting sun. And she had a feeling, he knew there was nothing there to look at.

End Chapter 1

So I know that it is short and choppy. It's rather slow too -_- But! It's only the first chapter and here to set the mood, introduce characters and relations, and to give a premise for the rest of the story. I hope that you could at least find one thing you enjoyed about this chapter regardless ^^ I promise to make the rest of teh chapters twice as long. At least, I plan too.

I'm not too familiar with Riruka's personality or character, so I apologize if she seems rather flat (though no big deal since I don't plan on her being a major character). But Senna will be an even greater challenge because she is going to be a major character and... I don't particularly like her character. So it'll take extra effort to not do any character bashing (warn me if it seems like I'm starting to). Not to mention, it's exhausting to write her, she's way too hyperactive for my taste -_-

Please review and I'll update as soon as I can!