I just had to do a IchigoxSenna story, I love them so much! This is romance and mystery, the mystery's mostly around Senna, but, hey, it's only Ch. 1, we'll get to that later. Takes place after Ichigo gets his Shinigami powers back, but right before the Thousand Year War Arc. And yeah, I didn't make Bleach, but this is my story.


"Kurosaki-kun~!" Orihime's high-pitched cheer came from outside. "I've got some bread for you~!"

Ichigo almost fell over from the surprise, but he quickly caught himself. He had just changed out of his school uniform, another day of work at Unagiya's. Ichigo sat on his bed and leaned over the window to reach Orihime.

"Oi! Inoue, you can come in!" He shouted back.

She nodded and he assumed she went to the front door. Orihime worked at the bakery a few blocks from their school, and she said she was going to be assigned the assistant manager position soon. She had came over last week to sell out the day old bread and talk about the recent happenings in Karakura Town. Mainly Xcution, the group Ichigo had associated himself with.

He believed Xcution's promise to help him regain his Shinigami powers by the use of Fullbring, however the group's true purpose involved extracting his Fullbring to strengthen themselves. But this was all behind Ichigo, he had his Shinigami powers and he could once again protect his family and friends.

Yuzu opened the door for Orihime, and she gave out some of the bread before heading up to Ichigo's room. Isshin ordered for the door to stay open, even though Ichigo told him nothing would happen between them.

At first, Orihime felt embarrassed to be beside Ichigo in his room. She squirmed and fidgeted, moving around a lot. Her odd movements confused him, thinking it was only normal for a friend to be in another friend's room, especially when his sisters were downstairs. After the battle with Xcution, it was obvious that she became comfortable, she no longer squirmed and stuttered her words.

She set the open box on his desk and munched on a bear claw. Yuzu would be coming up shortly to bring them tea.

"Oh yeah, Kurosaki-kun," Orihime said, putting her hands together. "Do you have the manga I gave you? I think it was called, Scarlet Tears Shatter."

"Huh? Yeah I have it," Ichigo turned to her and made an unbelieving expression. "I didn't think you were into that kind of manga."

"Hm, what do you mean?"

"It had a lot of fighting and blood. I thought you'd be into shoujo and romance,"

"You're right, I don't like those kind of manga, but Tatsuki showed it to me, since there was a preview of my favorite anime in the back. And then you said you needed something to read." Orihime said.

Ichigo went to his school bag leaning against his closet, and he felt inside. He checked the other openings, and then he opened his desk drawer. Orihime told him he didn't have to keep searching, but he knew he left it somewhere in his room. After looking in every place he could think of, he was about to give up, but he hadn't looked under his bed. Ichigo never had a reason to hide something underneath his bed, but he guessed he had dropped the book and forgot to pick it up.

He bent down and reached and found an object, but it wasn't the book: it was a box. It was an ordinary box, white. He wondered when he ever received a white box. Orihime asked what was inside, and he lifted the lid to see a red ribbon.

"Ooh, that's a pretty ribbon. When did you get that?" Orihime asked curiously.

"I don't know. I don't remember getting it from someone," Ichigo said.

The first person that came to his mind was Yuzu. She liked cute, girly things, and she even decorated Kon or Bostov as she called him. Fortunately, Yuzu came in with the tea. Ichigo showed her the ribbon, but she didn't recognize it. She didn't expect Karin to either, since she rarely used or needed a ribbon. The next person was Uryu. An unlikely person, but he did have an obsession with sewing and fashion. Although, there was no reason for his ribbon to be in Ichigo's room and in a box. Then again, it didn't make sense for a ribbon Yuzu or Karin had to be in his room and in a box.

"Tch, why am I even worrying about this thing?" Ichigo said. He decided to forget about the unnecessary material, it wouldn't help him to remember it anyway. He assumed he must've received it from someone, but he didn't care enough to find out. "Sorry, Inoue. When I find your manga, I'll give it back to you."

"Oh! That's fine! You can bring it to me whenever!" Orihime reassured and then her eyes flicked as if she remembered something. "Oh I forgot, I was going to meet with Tatsuki-chan later."

Orihime began gathering her belongings and the bread box, catching Yuzu's eye.

"Inoue-chan, you're leaving already? But I just made the tea," Yuzu said disappointed.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Yuzu-chan, but I promised Tatsuki-chan."

"Yuzu, we'll just drink the rest of the tea," Ichigo said to his sister. "I'll see you later, Inoue."

She nodded, and Ichigo waved goodbye to her. Yuzu took the tea tray and brought it downstairs, following Orihime. Now alone, Ichigo turned to his desk, reminded of the homework he hadn't started on, but his eyes went to the red ribbon he put there. He knew the ribbon was important to him, but he didn't know how or why. How long ago did he get the ribbon? Who gave it to him?

Knowing it wouldn't do any good to continue thinking about it, he placed the ribbon back in the box and hide it underneath his bed.

~.~

Wearing his gray jacket apart of his uniform, Ichigo walked to school. It was still spring, even with the recent battles he had. He couldn't understand why the time he thought had passed never did when he was fighting. But when he lost his powers, time flew by without him noticing.

17 months without seeing the Soul Society or his best friend, Rukia Kuchiki. When Ichigo obtained his powers and had to save Rukia, he thought he'd see his friends in late September or early October, but he returned just in time to begin the second semester of school. The same occurred when he traveled to Hueco Mundo to save Orihime. The group returned a week after they left, although it felt like months elapsed.

To Ichigo, his fights never ended. Once he defeated an enemy, a new enemy would always appear. If he almost died, he'd fall and talk to his zanpakuto, Zangestu or his inner hollow. Even those conversations felt like hours.

He didn't understand why he had this feeling, but he was thankful he regained his powers. They were apart of him, they were what made him Ichigo Kurosaki. He thought he could live in peace living the life of a normal human, but he had the aching feeling of being unfulfilled. He could no longer protect his friends, his family. He could no longer enter Soul Society or see Rukia, Renji, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Toshiro, and even Byakuya and Kenpachi. He knew his life wasn't meant to be average.

While walking on the bridge he did everyday, he saw the same high school girls. He'd been seeing them lately, making him guess they were third years like him, but they didn't attend Karakura High School. They headed in the opposite direction and one bumped into him.

"Oh, sorry!" She said.

Ichigo stared at the girl, meeting her clear amber-colored eyes. He couldn't explain the feeling, but he felt as if he knew her. He never noticed her before, why now? She had dark purple hair that reached her upper back and her uniform was forest green with a dark gray skirt.

She kept running with her friends, laughing, as Ichigo looked behind him. Who was she?

~.~

"HEEYY, ICHIGO!" Keigo shouted, grabbing a caught off guard Ichigo.

It was apart of their daily routine to collide into each other as a sort of greeting. Ichigo would win and watch Keigo fall, while Keigo laughed it off. This time, the two fell to the floor and Ichigo touched his head, hoping he hadn't received a bruise.

"Hey, Ichigo, what's wrong?" Keigo asked. For Ichigo to fall from his surprise attack meant he wasn't himself. Keigo held out his hand and helped Ichigo to his feet. "You okay? Is it about the Soul Society?"

"Hm? Uh, no. It's nothing like that," Ichigo said, trying to get his bearing. He looked over confused. "Well, I don't think so."

"What? Well, I can't help you, if you don't know." Keigo sighed. He wished Ichigo would display his feelings more. He hardly discussed his problems, but there were small signs his friends picked up on that explained his emotions. For example, the odd smile he showed near the day of his mother's death.

"You wouldn't be able to help in the first place," a familiar voice said behind them.

"Hey, that's not fair, Tatsuki!" Keigo pouted, shaping his eyes into pointing arrows.

Tatsuki ignored him completely and looked at Ichigo. She could read Ichigo like a book, thanks to their long years of friendship. She was also good at eavesdropping, hearing her best friend's predicated dilemma, his memory.

"So you got problems with your memory again, huh?" Tatsuki said. "You're hopeless."

"Well, that's kinda mean," Keigo replied, and Tatsuki went on.

"You see, Ichigo here, only remembers things that are really important to him. If he can't remember something it just means he didn't care about it. Problem solved." She explained matter-of-factly.

She patted Ichigo's shoulder before leaving for class, telling him to forget about whatever he was trying to recall.

"You're right," he agreed.

He knew he wouldn't figure out his worries, and Tatsuki's point about forgetting them was what he needed to hear. Ichigo sometimes envied Tatsuki's personality. She remained confident and strong in anything she did. She often had to mentor him or Orihime to keep them on the right track. As a child in the karate dojo, Tatsuki beat him in every match until they got older. Even then, Ichigo never had to tell her what she should do differently or offered to instruct her. Tatsuki understood her weaknesses and worked on her strengths.

After school, Ichigo met with Orihime by the entrance. He still hadn't found her manga, but Orihime smiled, stating it's alright if he can't find it. He wanted to repay her, but she held up her hands, repeating he didn't need to keep stressing himself.

"Oh, I was just wondering, Kurosaki-kun, when do you think Kuchiki-san's going to be back?" Orihime asked.

"Rukia? I don't know, since the Soul Society's been busy lately." Ichigo said. "Besides Rukia only appears when something's happening, she usually doesn't just visit. And with the way our lives go, something's going to happen, so she'll be back in a little bit."

"That's not good, that means we have to keep fighting." Orihime sighed.

"Yeah, but that's what we have to do. You don't have to fight if you don't want to," he scratched his head and shrugged. "I mean, now that I have my powers back, I can protect everyone."

"Hm, but you could always protect us, Kurosaki-kun," she beamed. "With or without your powers."

You could always protect us, with or without your powers. Orihime's words played in his mind. The bond he had with his friends had increased because of her words. For 17 months, he believed he couldn't save his nakama, his precious people. But, in truth, his nakama never doubted his strength, they believed in his abilities, they believed in his determination, with or without his powers.

"Heh, thanks, Inoue." Ichigo showed a small smile.

Orihime saw the warm look in his eyes and couldn't help the small red blush appearing on her cheeks. She returned the expression and waved off, leaving for work. Sadly, this reminded him of his job at Unagiya's.

Unagiya's was in the east side of Karakura Town, several blocks away from his house, making the walk home a long one. But he had to accept his job. In one year, he'd be an adult and work expected of him.

The light changed from red to green and he crossed the street, near a restaurant. A loving couple walked by, both holding hands. The woman had blush marks and she gazed into her lover's eyes. Ichigo recalled another thing that was expected of him as an adult: a wife.

Now that he's older, his thoughts have changed from his 15 year old self. He's become mature and the idea of dating interested him. He hadn't had a girlfriend before and had no clue to what love felt like. He didn't just want to protect his family and friends all the time. He also desired to protect the girl he loved.

There were three girls in Ichigo's life, but all three were nakama.

Rukia gave him his Shinigami powers, she changed his life. She would always be precious to him. A precious friend he had to protect. That was it. He couldn't imagine a different relationship with Rukia. He couldn't imagine going on dates with her or saying loving words like "sweetheart" and "baby".

Orihime was also precious to him. He admired her kind and nurturing spirit. She hated fighting and violence and cared for others, despite whether they liked her or not. When she was kidnapped by Aizen, Ichigo wanted to protect her and keep her safe; someone so sweet as her didn't deserve to be in the middle of a war she had no purpose in. But, again, that was it. Taking her on dates and calling her nicknames, he would feel too awkward.

Last was Tatsuki. Ichigo's childhood best friend. She watched him stare at the river after his mother's death. She teased him and made him laugh. She was his protector until he finally stood on his own two feet. Ichigo wanted to be her protector as a way to thank her for her friendship.

In the end, there was no one he loved or at least no one he could form a romantic bond with.

Ichigo's eyes shifted to the clock between minutes at Unagiya's. The work was boring, but he had no choice. Ikumi ordered Ichigo to sign work documents, but her attention went to the door, hearing her son, Kaoru's loud footsteps.

In an instant, Ikumi yanked her heart patterned apron off the hanger and threw it on herself. Ichigo endured his work at the desk, neglecting to look at his boss and knowing what would occur next.

The door opened and Kaoru flew to his mother, staring angrily at Ichigo.

"Hey, you, stay away from my mom!" Kaoru sneered and pointed.

"Look, kid, I already told you she's not my type. And I'm not into that stuff," Ichigo said, nonchalantly doing the paperwork.

"Heh, do you even have a girlfriend?" Kaoru hissed.

"Kaoru!" Ikumi reprimanded and tried to put her hand over his mouth.

"No, I don't, and I don't need one." Ichigo retorted. He stopped writing once Kaoru teased him, but he quickly continued signing the documents.

"Yeah right. Even I got a girlfriend, but she's not as special as my mom." Kaoru said. "Haha, you're such a wuss!" He laughed and blew a raspberry.

"You little brat!" Ichigo seethed, turning towards him.

Ikumi hurried Kaoru out, scolding him on his actions, and told him to go to his room. She took her apron off and hung it on the hanger.

"Sorry about that," Ikumi said.

"That brat has a big mouth," he said.

He didn't expect to become angry, but Kaoru's harsh teasing struck a nerve. He faced Ikumi, finished with his assigned paperwork, and asked if he had other papers to sign. She nodded and gave him the leftover documents he'd often say he'd do later. He sighed, seeing that no matter what he does, he still has more work to do. He focused on the work, but Kaoru's smug grin and the thoughts of his desired girlfriend haunted him throughout the process.

In his room, Ichigo held the ribbon in his hand and he again wondered who had given it to him. He thought about his mother and questioned if she was the important person who gave him the ribbon. But he discarded those thoughts. He never recalled her wearing a ribbon, and it wouldn't make sense for her to give him one. Ichigo then finally concluded that none of the people he knows wear or wore a ribbon. Giving up, he put the ribbon in the white box, placed it under his bed, and decided to go to sleep.

~.~

The next few days had been the same. Ichigo spent them trying to find Orihime's manga, talking with Tatsuki, Keigo, Mizuiro, and Chad, working at Unagiya's, and fighting hollows with Uryu. Orihime and Chad joined the hollow excursions sometimes, but Uryu always stood beside Ichigo, using their rivalry as a positive to defeat the hollows. But it all changed on one Saturday.

Ichigo was on his way to school, walking on the bridge. He saw the high school girls, but they seemed to be in a panic. The girls stopped random people and talked to them, asking several questions. He hoped none of them would approach him, but he knew that was too good to be true.

"Um, excuse me," one of the girls came up to Ichigo. She had brown hair in pigtails and wore glasses. "We're trying to look for our friend; she went missing. Um, she has dark purple hair and her eyes are kinda yellow or gold, well, and, we walk to school together everyday. We usually see you too."

Ichigo's eyes widened a bit. He didn't know they noticed him, and he immediately guessed it was his hair that caught their eye. He tried to remember the girl they were talking about. He knew he had seen her, he saw all of the girls.

"So, um, her parents are trying to find her, a-and we are too. Her name's Senna. Senna Natsura."


Alright thanks for reading and I hoped you liked the first chapter!