Hello!
I'm new around here, and this is my first ever fanfic, dedicated to my favourite anime couple ever! I hope you enjoy it despite my lack of creativity.
I'd like to thank my awesome friend, Louise, for her neverending support and encouragement. Thank you for helping me revise my first draft and making it into what it is now. This could not have been made possible without you. Thank you so much!
Disclaimer: I do not claim Bleach as my own. The marvellous creation was imagined and created by Kubo Tite. This fanfiction is purely for entertainment purposes.
Prologue
It is truly a magical thing,
How the strongest glimmer of hope,
Can be given from the heart of a young girl,
And strengthened in the palm of a tiny hand
It could not have been a pleasanter evening to be outside one's abode, relishing the final rays of the diminishing sunlight. Perhaps if you extended your admiring eyes to the sky, you would have observed an enchanting array of colors that ranged from crimson to pink, clumsily decorated with wisps of clouds and gently illuminated by a large orange sun as it slowly set below the horizon. There was a delicate chill to the air, but a tolerable one.
However, there was one poor soul who could not enjoy the cool breeze like anyone else outside that day. It was a forlorn young boy with a head of bright orange hair who sat by the riverside plucking blades of grass in his small hands. These actions were short-lived, however, for he haughtily threw the bunch of grass onto the ground and started pacing in miniature circles in an almost frustrated fashion, only stopping to look out at the river before continuing his small rounds.
Anyone watching him would have found his annoyed little rant almost childishly adorable, but if you bothered to look closer, you would have noticed the tears he was trying to suppress brimming at the sides of his large amber eyes.
He sat back down again and started plucking grass, unaware, that at that very moment, he was being observed by a black-haired girl who stood on the slope leading down to the riverbank. She carefully walked down towards him, treading slowly so as not to slip, and seated herself beside him.
"Hey, why are you sad?" She inquired quietly, looking out at the river, seemingly dancing as it reflected the remaining daylight.
"Who said I was sad?" The boy pouted, not looking at her either but at the handful of grass in his tiny fist. She turned to look at him.
"Do you miss someone close to you?" She asked. He refused to return her gaze but bit down on his lower lip. A single tear trickled down his red cheek, followed by a few more, until he started to shake with heavy and uncontrollable sobs.
"My mom's gone! She's never coming back and it's my fault!" He cried, rubbing his eyes. "Yuzu and Karin and Dad are all sad because of me. No matter how much I ask, she can't come back," He rocked to and fro on the spot, clutching his knees with his head between them.
The girl didn't say anything and they sat in silence for a prolonged moment; the boy rocking back and forth and the girl turning her attention to the glistening river. When his sobs finally quieted down, she held out her hand.
"I'm Rukia, I just ran away from home." She grinned at him, flashing two rows of pearly-white teeth. He dried his tears with the back of his sleeve and wiped his hand on the back of his trousers, giving her a wavering smile in return.
"I'm Ichigo," He responded, taking her hand and shaking it. "Funny how my name means I'm supposed to protect people when I only end up hurting them." He withdrew his hand, and then stared at it. The girl had put something in his hand when she had shaken it.
"It's a protective charm from my family. I hope you treasure it." She said softly.
He held it up in the fading daylight. It was a small and could fit perfectly in his tiny palm. On it was written '守る' or 'protect' in elegant calligraphy. Below it was a clumsy yet adorable drawing of a rabbit.
"Thanks, but your drawing really sucks," He giggled and looked up, only to see her petite frame was nowhere in sight. He looked around, but it seemed like she had disappeared without a trace.
"Rukia?" He called out, suddenly feeling very alone. The last of the sun disappeared, leaving only the still night air and a dark blanket of sky.
He got up and dusted the grass of his clothes. Clutching the small charm tightly in his small hand, Ichigo awkwardly stumbled his way home.
