1.

Neo-Karakura: 3rd day of September 2044.

The day started like any other for High Schooler Ichigo Kurosaki.

"Dammit! Why didn't my alarm go off!?" Racing down the stairs came Ichigo, with one sleeve of his uniform slung on and the other dangling loosely by his right shoulder.

"I kept yelling for you to wake up but you wouldn't listen!" whined Ichigo's mother – who was in fact his younger sister Yuzu.

"Ichi-nii could sleep through a freaking cyclone." Ichigo's other younger sister, Karin, said as she flicked between TV channels.

'#And the President wishes everyone at home a splendid morning as we wake up to sunny skies and a pleasant 20 degrees.#'

"Grr, now I just know I'm gunna forget something, quick Yuzu throw me some toast!"

Ichigo wasn't thrown a toast like he requested but was nearly thrown a foot to his face – a foot which belonged to his overly eccentric father.

"Oh son! You make me so proud every time you evade my ambush attacks," Ichigo's father, Isshin wailed like a child a quarter of his age as he rubbed his cheek. "Masaki would've been so proud of you too son."

"For chrissake why'd you have to bring Mum up at a time like this?" Ichigo's morning rush quickly dampened into scornful reflection of his late mother's death, or rather, her murder at the hands of terrorists.

"Now son, we all share your mother's thoughts in our heart everyday, but it doesn't mean we can't carry on with our lives and have a bit of-"

"SHUT UP DAD!" Ichigo would have punched his father right through the wall at that point but he took his anger out on the kitchen-top instead. Yuzu would get terrified whenever she saw her older brother turn violent but Karin was more reserved – opting to avert her focus on the TV screen as usual.

"#Good morning my loyal citizens of Neo-Karakura. I hope you all strive to work hard in maintaining our prosperous and peaceful society. Remember that I, Aizen Sosuke, value your contribution to building our city and defying the terrorists who seek to threaten our peaceful and prosperous ways.#'

"I think I'll skip breakfast this morning." Ichigo turned away from his family as he slung his bag around one shoulder and headed out.

Yuzu looked down at something on the floor. "Oh wait Ichigo you forgot your-"

But with the door slamming shut, the fiery haired teenager was already gone.

As Ichigo made the trek to Karakura High (which was not to be confused with the more recently established Neo-Karakura High) , more giant screens filled the windowspace of buildings, but over the years, the colourful neon ads had to compete with the giant TV monitors reporting the news or the daily message from the President.

"Fuckin' hell I'm so sick of that Aizen fellow spouting his morning bullshit everyday." Ichigo had overheard a few delinquents from another school chatting about how much they really liked their peaceful leader.

"Rack off ya' brats!" an old shopkeeper came out with his broom to shoo away the delinquents. "I won't have you lot trashing our great leader near my business.

"Hey Fuck you gramps!" The gang all offered their middle fingers to the shopkeeper as they moved on down the street. It wasn't long before a couple of white suited individuals followed them.

"Man...What a day," Ichigo pressed a hand to his forehead as he resumed his morning commute.

"HEY ICHIGO MY BRO HOW'S IT BEEN MY -oof" One of Ichigo's classmates and biggest parasite, Keigo was answered by the bright-haired kid's bag against his face.

"Oh hey, Keigo, I'm alright I guess," Ichigo looked down at him as though he hadn't seen him coming. Ichigo looked at the smaller black-haired kid next to him. "Working on your phone again Mizuiro?"

"Yeah, I think I've nearly worked out how to get that function." The little techno prodigy didn't even avert one eye away from his handheld device as he kept stabbing his thumb into the touchscreen. "Once I've taken down the firewall, I can access those old movies and animes again."

"Well good luck with your hacking then." As Ichigo headed into his classroom, he waved a hand to one of the most noticeable members of his class – the goliath. "Hey Chad, what's up?"

The gentle giant waved a hand back. "Oh hey Ichigo."

"Hey Ichi-GO!" the feeling of a headlock from behind could have only come from one source.

"Kah! Hey Tatsuki." the chokehold victim turned and saw the cheeky tomboy with her spiky black hair much longer than usual. "If you were a boy, I would've kicked your arse like I do to Keigo a long time ago."

"Haha! Even if you could hit me, I'd still knock you out of the dojo!" Tatsuki snickered as she went for her desk. "Oh yeah, did you remember?"

"Huh?"

"What'dya mean huh? Don't act all retarded on me now boy, did you remember what today is?"

Still confused, Ichigo scratched his head and muttered a weird sounding, "I dunno."

"Hi Kurosaki-kun!" before he could work out his answer Ichigo heard a bright and cheerful voice from behind his back. He turned and found Orihime Inoue, the one girl that could make this bleachhead truly melt if she knew her hidden power over him. "Howzit goooin~?"

"I uh-" Ichigo laughed nervously as he consulted with Tatsuki. She, however, was now shaking her head and crossing her arms. "Orihime, was there something about today I-"

"Oh you remembered did you?" Orihime clapped her heels together and beamed. "Okay, what was it you remembered Kurosaki-kun?"

Ichigo knew he had caught himself in a corner. He had had a crush over this chestnut haired girl for three years and all this time he had tried to impress her. But what was it about this day that Orihime and Tatsuki kept going on about he wondered.

"Don't tell me you forgot Ichigo?" Tatsuki got up off her chair. "That it was Inoue-san's birthday today."

"Wait, was it Orihime's birthday already? I thought it was-"

Ichigo was cut off by a swift slap to his left cheek. As everyone in the class stared in silence, he had noticed Orihime's hair fall over her face as her shoulders heaved between sobs. "I thought you of all people would have remembered my birthday, but I guess I was wrong."

And as Orihime threw her sobbing head into her hands and turned towards the door – her best friend Tatsuki following her – Ichigo reached out a hand. "Please wait Orihime, I didn't mean to forget. I lo-"

BOOOOOOOOOM!

A great explosion swept through the school. Glass rained down upon the students as the ceiling crumbled and beams impaled through these young adult's hearts. Smoke and fire ravaged the room in just seconds as Ichigo tried to shout over ringing out of his ears.

"Hey! What the fuck just happened? Hey anyone! Hey! What the fuck's going on!? HEY!"

Somewhere between Ichigo's screams, he had passed out. Sometime later – possibly only a few minutes – Ichigo opened his eyes to witness the true carnage.

Tiny flames licked the corners of the ashen room. Chairs, desks and furniture were strewn across the floor with more debris. Glass littered the ground like giant pieces of sharp glitter. Beneath the heavy smell of smoke, reeked a foul odour like rotten fish or meat.

Between coughs, Ichigo called out to his friends. "Chad! Keigo! Mizuiro! Tatsuki!" He sucked in as much air in this toxic space as possible before he shouted out again. "Orihime!"

As he climbed over a fallen beam, Ichigo tripped over it; his hand landing in a wet and squishy puddle. "Ugh, what is-"

He followed the wet and squishy trail, it led to a ball of chestnut hair. Ichigo stroked backed the loose bangs of hair, whispering out her name. "Orihime?"

Though it was quite dark, Orihime's wide open eyes were as visible as day. Her slightly parted lips, formed into a frown of confused terror. Not enough time to have even screamed or cried...Just dead.

"No..." a word left Ichigo's breath as he looked at the crimson dye he had left in Orihime's hair. "No this can't be fuckin' real." As he shook his head, he slid back and hit another object. Turning around he saw Orihime's 'best friend forever' fulfilling her contract with all her guts spilling out of a large tear in her stomach.

"Fuck no...No this shit's not happening!" Ichigo crawled away from the two of them as he met more bloodied corpses, decorating the classroom with their blood, guts and limbs arranged as disordered as their lunchboxes.

"Hey..." Ichigo held back tears as he leaned against the fallen blackboard. "You guys...Is anyone..."

"Ichi-" a large arm clung over a desk as Chad raised his crimson head. The left side of his body was completely gone, his hand splashed more red paint onto the desk as he struggled to get himself over. "Ichi-go...I-I."

The gentle giant of the class never got to finish that sentence. The rest of his legless body fell over the edge of the desk as he smacked the floor with a wet thud.

Ichigo's teeth wouldn't stop chattering. The weather lady said it'd be a pleasant 20 degrees but now he felt so cold...So very chilled down to the bone. His eyes wouldn't stop bulging out their sockets and he couldn't stop shaking either.

"G-g-g-g-g-gn-gn-gn-NOOOOOO!"

The 3rd of September. A day that started just like any other.

A day that would change a 17 year-old's life forever...