Disclaimer (The only one you will see this whole story!): I do not own Bleach (damn…it would be nice if I did…but how would I ever know what happens next if Kubo wasn't there to tell me?). The manga is made by the masterful Kubo Tite, and read by a group of people that happens to include myself. The only method in which I own Bleach is the number of songs and downloaded manga chapters and anime episodes residing on my computer. That is all. Stop reading this. Now. Damn it, WHY ARE YOU STILL READING THE FUCKING DISCLAIMER, GO AWAY!

Notice: This story will contain spoilers from various points in the Bleach manga up until its current status. This story is also an AU (alternate universe to you fanfiction n00bs) story, so the first person to point out that a character has been placed in a Gotei Thirteen seat that is already occupied WILL be subjected to the full brunt of Hollow Ichigo's Getsuga Tenshou. And yes, I can make that happen. I'm the author. And now I'm rambling. Damn it, this was supposed to be one of my more serious fics. Hm…I should stop rambling now…Fucking damn it, WHY CAN'T I ST-!

Bleach: Crossed Paths

A Bleach fanfiction by G.O.T. Nick

Prologue

Friday 7:12 pm. Karakura Town.

A young man, wearing casual street clothes, walks down the street. Over his shoulder is slung a school uniform, consisting of a white, collared shirt and black pants. "Damn it…" he mutters, "I hate uniforms…and I really hate getting new ones." He sighs, and runs a hand through his already combed-back brown hair. "So annoying, school…can't wait for when the whole damn thing's over with…it's such a waste of my time." He sighs, and closes his eyes for a few moments, then opens the distinctive green orbs again. "Like they can teach me any-" Suddenly, he hears a loud noise, followed by a yell of pain, and finally a body collapsing to the ground. His instincts take over, and he dashes around the corner, to see a sight that he finds…appealing.

Friday 7:13 pm. Karakura Town.

The teenager spotted another person, about his own height and age, standing amid a group of other teenagers, who looked like skaters judging by their clothes and the boards they carried. At the person's feet he saw one of the skaters, unconscious, with blood flowing from his nose. The other skaters were protesting his actions. The one they were complaining to was wearing gray pants, a gray jacket, and had a brown bag slung over his shoulder. But the most distinct thing about him was his- "Orange hair…?" the brown-haired teen murmured, "Weird…" The orange-haired teen was saying something to the skaters as he proceeded to beat the living crap out of each of them, but the brown-haired teen was barely paying attention to his words. Something about a kid who had died and whose offering had been knocked over…Speaking of which, he noticed that there was a weird young girls with pigtails standing unimposingly behind the orange-haired guy. No…wait, she wasn't standing, she was floating. 'Ah,' the brown-haired one thought, 'a ghost…and probably the one he's talking about…'

Eventually, it appeared that the girl let herself be seen by the idiot skaters, who screamed like little girls and ran in fear. 'That must mean that guy can see her normally…interesting. But who cares about that…the guy's tough…' He watched the orange-haired guy and the ghost exchange farewells, then walked quickly to catch up to him. "Hey," he said simply, bluntly.

The orange-haired one turned to look at him, a degree of annoyance evident in his eyes, "Yeah, what? I'm in a hurry, I'm late as it is."

'Yeah, like I care about your schedule…' He didn't voice the thought, "You're pretty tough, you beat up those four without much effort."

"Yeah, so what?"

A frown, 'He's not interested…damn, guess it's just because of that ghost…' "Eh, nothing."

"Whatever," but then suddenly, the orange-head noticed something. "Hey," he jabbed a finger at the uniform hanging over the brunette's shoulder, "you go to my school."

"Not yet, actually," he responded, "I just got transferred here. I'm starting tomorrow. You a freshman?"

"Yeah, you?" A nod, "Hell, we might be classmates."

"Maybe," came the agreement, "what's your name, anyways?"

The orange-head held out his hand, "Kurosaki Ichigo."

The brunette accepted Ichigo's hand in a shake, "Strawberry, huh?"

Ichigo's brow twitched, "It means 'Guardian Angel,' damn it!"

"Ah, I see, stupid kanji…" the brunette murmured.

Ichigo broke the handshake, "And just who the hell are you?"

The brunette jerked a thumb at himself, "Name's Ryokuai Kouen."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow, "Ryokuai?"

Kouen held up two fingers and gestured with them towards his eyes, "Family trait."

"Ah," replied Ichigo. Then there was silence. The conversation looked to be over. "Well," Ichigo said, as they came to a corner and he turned it, "I'll be seeing you around, Kouen-san."

"Yeah," Kouen agreed, as he kept going. 'Weird feeling…' he thought, as he left, 'as if…' He shook his head to clear his thoughts, 'Nah, must be my imagination. Tends to do that to ya after you've seen as much weird stuff as I have…'

As it turns out, Kouen's feeling was very, very accurate.


Kouen and Ichigo have met for the first time, but what does this hold for their future? Well you see, it means that Ichigo will be distracted so much that I'll be able to enjoy nee-san's sweet, soft, supple-

(Sounds of a stuffed animal being stepped on repeatedly)

KON! Stop ruining the chapter preview! Oh fuck it, we're out of time!