Lost Strawberry: Part 1
A man in a simple white robe lay on the floor, he felt lost and very much confused. He had thoughts, he knew things. But knowing the sky of the day should be blue with no memories of ever seeing a sky in the day was odd. Some of the other things he knew were this. His name was Ichigo, he knew he was sixteen and he knew somehow that he was dead.
Ichigo looked around at his surroundings. They were hardly nice. It was a dark dusty street. Everything looked broken and used. There was also a rather hostile looking group of men were making funny looks at him.
"Hey looks like someone new dropped in." Said the oldest looking one, who was also carrying a large piece of wood like it was a sword.
"Wonder if he got anything valuable on him?" Said a younger one while looking at Ichigo.
"Well, the strong take from the weak. " The older man said with a shrug as he walked towards Ichigo.
"They do, do they?" Ichigo said as he pulled himself up. "I don't know much, but even I think that sounds kind of dumb."
The older man frowned, then with no warning smashed the piece of wood into Ichigo's side, he heard something go crack and it certainly wasn't the piece of wood.
"Let me tell you something to fill that empty head of yours before I break it" The older man said as Ichigo fell onto one knee. "The world is a terrible place, if you're weak you will be crushed, if you're strong you should crush the weak, because if you don't you just become weak."
Ichigo laughed, it hurt his side a little as he did so.
"You must be so weak to believe that rubbish!" he said as pulled himself up." If you're truly strong, you should be able to protect those weaker than yourself!"
With that Ichigo kicked the man in between the legs.
"If you are truly strong, no silly handicap should stop you!" Ichigo yelled as he punched the man in the chest causing him to crash to the floor. Somehow Ichigo caught the piece of wood before it hit the floor.
"And if you're strong, you should be able show mercy without fear." Ichigo spoke darkly as he held the wood like a sword, a feeling that felt familiar and natural as breathing. "Now get out my sight before I change my mind!"
The other men had ran away it seemed as Ichigo's attention had been on there leader. Who was now crawling away, then with some difficulty got up and run away.
"Monster!" he screamed after he was a safe distance away. Ichigo didn't care one bit about that title. He knew what made a real monster.
Ichigo walked through the night. The area seemed mostly deserted and of the few who did walk through the night, none seemed eager to come near him. His side was still hurting, but the pain seemed to be going away as time went by. Ichigo wasn't sure why this was true, just as he wasn't sure how he caught the piece of wood in hand either, but it seemed whatever else Ichigo was, he was a warrior.
"There you are Icchi!" shouted a young, high pitch and female voice. Ichigo looked up to see its owner. A rather young girl with bright pink hair. She was wearing a black robe and surprisingly also had what looked like a scabbard with sword in it on her back. Adding to this strange image was the fact she was very clearly on a roof.
"Should I know you?" Ichigo asked in a hopeful tone. The pink haired girl grinned.
"Nope!" She said cheerfully. "Because you died and pretty much all your memories went bye bye!"
"But did you know me before that?" He shouted up to her. She looked down at him with a mischievous grin.
"Jump up here and I tell you!" She shouted downwards. Ichigo furrowed his eyebrows.
"That's insane!" He yelled out her. "There no way I can jump up there!"
She smirked.
"You're good at no ways Icchi!" she said with the grin still on her face. "Your not going to let a silly thing like a little jump stop you are you?"
Ichigo muttered.
"Ok I give it a try!" He shouted up to her. Ichigo the looked at the floor, then at the roof. Then he jumped and somehow jumped high enough to land on the roof next to her. She smiled brightly at him.
"Your soul remembered even if your head didn't!" she said as she patted the piece of roof beside her. Ichigo took her cue and sat beside the young girl. Dropping the piece of wood from earlier to his side as he did so.
"So who are you and what do you know about me?" he asked in a gentle tone. She was a kid after all.
"My name is Kusajishi Yachiru." She said rather loudly, despite how close they were and in considerable contrast to his gentle tone. "And I'm a Shinigami. My job is to make sure the spirits of dead pass on safely to here and to fight any Hallow's that show up wherever. Hallows are spirit that have turn bad and turned into monsters by the way."
Ichigo looked down at Yachiru. She was so small… yet she fought monsters. Then again he just jumped on top of a roof, so Ichigo had the feeling that it was his idea of reality that was probably out of sync with the reality he was in.
"You know me, because you and Ken-chan are good friends." She said happily "And Ken-chan and I are the best friends in the whole world, so he would want me to look after you if he was here."
Ichigo nodded softly as she spoke. This Ken-chan guy sounded like someone he should try to find. Ichigo had the feeling he really needed to find his friends right now.
"Course I got a question for you now Icchi." She said after her explanation. "Who do you think you are?"
The question was a sudden one. Ichigo took his time, but in a way the answer was obvious.
"I'm a warrior "He said firmly. " A warrior who knows the meaning of mercy."
"That it?" Yachiru asked probingly.
"Pretty much." Ichigo said with a shrug. "What were you expecting me to say? I hardly got any memories."
Yachiru stared at him a while.
"She was expecting you to say something more. " She said simply as she closed her eyes. "Through I expect she be talking to you now."
Ichigo looked at Yachiru.
"Who is she?" He asked. Yachiru let out a small giggle.
"She is me… Ichigo." Ichigo twisted around to look at the person who voice he had just heard. The first thing that struck him about her was how short she was. She was clearly no child, but she was easily a head shorter than Ichigo. Her hair was short, but judging from how well combed and taken care of it was, it was short for practical reasons, not out of laziness. Her eyes were indigo and clear. Her stance was strong, yet graceful and she wore a similar outfit to Yachiru, but her sword was at her side and not on her back. Ichigo felt his eyes linger on it. He didn't know the reasoning, but he knew that blade was an important one to him in the grand scale of things.
"Thanks for helping me Yachiru." The woman said to the girl before turning her full attention on Ichigo. "I now ask you to leave us alone."
The pink headed Shinigami nodded before jumping away and out of sight.
"She seems a pretty nice person." Ichigo said to the woman as she silently watched him.
"With Yachiru, everything is about Kenpachi's happiness." She said seriously. "Kenpachi really like fighting and your one of the few people that can give him something close to a fair fight, so it's in Yachiru interest to help you get strong and keep you safe."
"So I'm just a vested interest in the form of a decent sparing partner then?" Ichigo asked bluntly, feeling a bit betrayed by Yachiru.
"Don't feel betrayed Ichigo." The woman spoke softly as she moved closer. "She is still a rather young child in many regards' and she does pretty much owe her whole life to Kenpachi. Is it really that shocking he is still her whole world Ichigo?"
"Guess your right Shinigami." Ichigo said has he looked at her closely. She seem to be holding a very neutral expression.
"Do you know who I am Ichigo?" she said while staring at him deeply in the eyes. Ichigo stared intently into those indigo orbs, but nothing came, nothing but a feeling that sword was important somehow….
"I won't lie to you Shinigami and say I know who you are." Ichigo started, the woman's face leapt back slightly at the comment. "But I know that sword on your waist is more than blade and something far more important than Yachiru's blade too. Just don't ask me why."
For the first time he saw a soft smile on her face.
"I guess Sode no Shirayuki left her impression on you." She said as she stepped rather close indeed to Ichigo and lifted up her sword. "Do you wish to know why?"
Ichigo stared down at the woman and her sword.
"I do." He said softly. She nodded at him.
"Then I shall tell." She spoke in equally soft tones. "When I first met you, you were a human. A human with vast spiritual energy yes. But with no control and no real power to fight."
She pull the sword softly out it scabbard.
"A Hallow attacked you and your family." She said as she softly pushed his clothes slightly open with her sword. "You wanted to fight, but could do nothing. I tried to fight but I was injured. So I did probably the most rash, stupid, illegal and best thing I ever did in my life."
Ichigo felt his heart beat fast.
"I gave a human the power of a Shinigami. " She said as she softly touched his chest with the tip of her blade at the exact point where his rapid beating heart was. "You have done great things since Ichigo. Saving your family from that Hallow was just the start. It's my pride, not my envy that you surpassed me in skill Ichigo."
With that statement she put her sword, no Sode no Shirayuki was her name, back into her scabbard.
She stepped slightly back away again, but she was still relative close. Ichigo was quiet quickly putting things together. The way she was holding herself. The fact she was here. The way she had touched him with Sode no Shirayuki…
He raised his right hand, and creased her left check softly. She didn't jump back or recoil. Instead she closed her eyes and leaned closer.
"Thought so." Ichigo said in the most gentle of tones. "I'm sorry for any tears I've caused you lover of mine."
A wide smile appeared on her face.
"I was scared our love died as your mortal body did Ichigo" She said she pushed herself forward and placed her head on his chest.
"Silly Shinigami, my soul remembered even if my head didn't" He said as he pulled her close and began stroking her hair.
"Call me Rukia…" She whispered softly. Her arms wrapping around him tight now.
"Thanks for finding me Rukia, but forgive me if I'm still a bit lost for now" He said to Rukia, feeling the warmth of her body against his.
"It ok I will guide you Ichigo" She replied. "I'm good at guiding you…."
Ichigo's world made a bit more sense and he was glad.
