WARNING:

- Renji X Ichigo, you have been warned.

- Potentially OOC as I stink at writing personalities that match characters

- I have only watched 1/3 of the Bleach episodes, so I will be missing information, or some stuff will be WRONG. BEAR WITH ME PLEASE and NO FLAMING!

Thank You so Much and ENJOY!

"Time passes ever so slowly now-a-days," Ichigo mumbled to himself as he walked through the streets of Karakura town. He had graduated a while back, and while his friends had all left for better and bigger things, Ichigo was stuck in this town searching for something. A part of him felt empty, incomplete, and he had a suspicion that it had something to do with the Soul Society.

A lot of his friends, both Soul Reapers and his human friends alike, had petitioned Yamamoto to allow him to go to the Seireitei to complete his training as Soul Reaper. They thought they had a good chance, what with many of the captains also signing on for all of the things Ichigo had done for them since he met them several years ago. Yet, the old man had shaken his head and said that it was impossible, because Ichigo was still a human. Defeated, he was forced to say goodbye to his shinigami friends, and retire to the human world. Of course, if there was ever a hollow around, he would rush to aid whatever Soul Reaper was stationed here, but it was never one of his friends and never was it the one person he wanted to see the most.

As of the past two months, Ichigo stopped helping out with killing hollows all together. A dark cloud had settled over the boy, and he began to waste away slowly. His family were too busy to notice, what with Karin and Yuzu soon becoming adults. Ichigo was fading away bit by bit from the isolation and loneliness of the situation. Kon had even gone to stay with Ururu and Jinta at Urahara's shop. He hadn't seen any of them in such a long time. Now that he thought about it, he could not remember the last time he had even spoken to someone.

Deep down, Ichigo knew he was ready to move on from this life. So much waited for him in the Soul Society, that he could hardly bear living in this world. His biggest anxiety was to see Renji Abarai again. It was long in the making, but Ichigo finally figured out that he was in love with the red headed Soul Reaper. It was doubtful that Renji returned his feelings, but he longed for the friendship the two men had shared before Ichigo was isolated from them. Perhaps when he was back in the Soul Society, they could be friends once more.

The orange-haired boy knew that he would have to wait a long time before he was re-acquainted with his friends once more. He also was aware that when the time finally came in sixty or seventy years, his friends might not be his friends anymore; after all, people grew apart after time. Sighing deeply, Ichigo walked through the streets as the sun set, and the moon rose high into the night sky.

But maybe, he would be reunited with them faster than he thought possible. For it was on that night walking home, that Ichigo encountered a hollow, unprepared for the attack.

Ichigo sensed the hollow approaching him, and took one of his little pills he had stored in his pocket, and left his body as a Shinigami. The hollow, a large ugly thing with the body of a lizard, but with a tentacle for a tail and a white mask on its face, approached him with a sick grin. "Delicious," it hissed as it took in the weakened Soul Reaper in front of him. "I have not devoured a Soul Reaper in such a long time."

While Ichigo knew that he was thinner and had lost a lot of his strength in his depression, he was determined to kill this hollow. It had killed Soul Reapers before. He would avenge them. "Pfft," he guffawed, "I'd like to see you try." Unsheathing Zangetsu, he held the sword in front of him, suddenly aware of how heavy the sword felt in his grasp.

Without warning, the massive hollow lunged for him, tongue extended as it tried to grasp Ichigo. The boy jumped out of the way, surprised at the speed the hollow possessed. Knowing he would need to focus, he tried to ignore how off balance he felt with the heavy sword, and locked his eyes on his opponent.

Taking the initiative, Ichigo charged and swung his sword down in a sloppy arch, while the hollow simply side stepped. Zangetsu met the pavement, bouncing off with a clang and sending painful vibrations up Ichigo's arms. Turning around quickly, he ran once more at the hollow, swinging his sword, aiming straight for the hollow's mask.

The hollow jumped back and shot its tail out, wrapping it around Ichigo's legs and pulling them out from under the boy. Landing with a loud thud, his head smacked hard on the concrete, causing stars to spring forth behind his eyes. A warm liquid substance ran down the back of his head and trickled onto the ground below. Involuntarily, a groan escaped his mouth as he tried to clear his head enough to stand up.

Before he could, the hollow's tail wrapped around him and picked him up, only to slam him down onto the pavement. A sickening crack was heard a split second before a loud yell came from Ichigo, as his hip snapped. Once more the hollow slammed him into the pavement, succesfully breaking more bones in the boy's body. Sweat and tears ran down Ichigo's face as he inhaled sharply, trying to gather his bearings. Yet when he glanced down at himself, he saw something that made his heart stop. Bone had cut through skin, and there was a substantial amount of blood pooling around him. He was going to die here.

The hollow moved his face over Ichigo's. "Ready for your soul to be sucked out? It will certainly be delicious," it hissed as it opened its mouth, white teeth shining ominously at the boy.

"Not likely," Ichigo grunted, as he used what little strength he had left to lift Zangetsu and drive it clean through the hollow's mask.

"AHHHHGGG!" The hollow shrieked, rearing back as it pulled the massive blade from its face. The screaming continued until the hollow had turned to ash, and blew away in the wind.

Ichigo panted hard as he surveyed himself. He could feel his body growing cold, and he was finding it hard to stay awake. This time he knew for certain, he was going to die here. And yet, he couldn't bring himself to be upset about the fact. Perhaps he would be reunited with his friends in the Soul Society; but at least he didn't have to waste away in loneliness stuck on earth.

Shutting his eyes for what he knew was the last time in this body, he whispered: "I'm sorry Karin and Yuzu. You'll have to be stronger than ever now." And then his heart stopped.