Disclamier: I do not own Bleach, or characters. Bleach (c) Kubo Tite.

Chapter 1: Starter

"Thank you for everything, Principal Komyogi." I said with a small smile while giving a small bow.

Faint yellow light and shadow covered the stern man's face. He adjusted his glasses and sat back in his chair. He turned his attention to the numerous bookshelves in the room, along with the picture frames lined up on the walls.

"Miss Ochi sensei, I wish you the best of luck for your future." The principal said while giving a nod from his desk.

I rode the bus to Yodogawa-ku, and walked to Shin-Osaka with my medium size suitcase rolling beside me. I was on my way to go back to Karakura town to take a full time teaching job over there. The high school even paid for my Shinkansen ticket. It wasn't the Nozomi train, but the Hikari trains were still pretty fast. I found myself seated in the 4th car, by the window. The train left on schedule at 5 minutes after noon. I pulled out the letter that was sent to me from Karakura High school.

It was a place I attended when I was a teenager. It's been so long since I graduated from there. I remember being accepted at the University of Osaka during my senior year. I couldn't wait to move away. But now, I can only feel nostalgia when thinking about walking the streets that led to my house. The place I'm going back to, my parent's house. I selfishly left my parent's house in the care of my best friend's family. My best friend, Kobayashi Keiko moved back to Karakura too, a few months ago.

Even the end of February had short days, it was getting dark when I arrived at the last stop. I took a short train ride, then a bus that stopped near the street my house was on. I wandered around my neighborhood, breathing deeply to fill my lungs with the late winter air. It was a wonderful feeling. Although I feel that I miss my life in Osaka very much, I believe moving back here was the best choice.

"I was surprised." I said while eating breakfast. When I arrived back at my old home, it was absolutely well kept. "Your mom is amazing, Keiko-chan."

"What can I say? I was away for years too. And my brother already got married. I guess she had the time to visit your house once a week. You did give her a key." Keiko said as she drank her bottled tea. Her hair seemed to be a lighter shade of brown that what I originally remembered.

"I really need to repay her, and your dad too." I said as I wiped my mouth.

"Don't worry about it. This was your parent's house, wasn't it? My parents and your parents were always friends. Visiting this house, helps them feel closer to your parents. They always told me that." Keiko spoke with a reassuring tone.

"I wonder what they would say now." I mumbled with a darkened expression.

"They'd say, wow our daughter is already 157 cm tall!". Keiko stated with false excitement.

"158 cm tall." I corrected her.

I suppose it didn't really take long for things to get back to normal for me. It was only a few weeks ago I was living in a tiny room with a small bathroom. My old house felt so spacious. I didn't have to work until the first week of April. The Sakura trees in Karakura town were already blooming into spring. I walked down across the street to a supermarket that was open. They were having many items on sale.

I have 10,000 Yen to spend. This is a very big deal. I need to buy: eggs, bread, several cans of canned meat, a small bag of rice, economy sized soy sauce, box of instant noodles, pepper, milk, a giant bottle of multivitamins, and other things that need to last me 2 weeks at a time. I won't even see a paycheck till the end of April, and rookie teachers like me don't get paid much yet.

I suppose if I had a kid they'd pay someone like me more. But small kids are troublesome. I wouldn't be able to handle any of them. But how could I even have a kid? I'm not married, or boyfriendly active. I've had Omiais in the past (most recent one Jan 6, 2006) but they all, weren't, up to my standards. But the truth about that between you and me, I was politely rejected three times.

Something like, "Oh Ochi-san, you are such lovely a person, but I don't feel that I'm ready to commit to anything with you. But I hope you keep in touch with me in the future because I'm full of shit." That's how most Omiais go anyway. But really, that last one though, I thought it was for sure the guy was falling for me.

There was a way he looked into my eyes when he placed his arms around me. Or how he'd place his warm hand on my back while we were walking together. We even, kissed. I remember our first date, it was at the beginning of December. The 3rd. And we talked on the phone a couple times before Christmas. Our 2nd date was 'Lover's day', the 25th, and we spent that whole day together wandering around Osaka, eating sweets and walking under the street lights.

Our third meeting, was New Year's day. I had Keiko's mom mail me my mom's old Furisode just so I could wear it for that occasion. Maybe it was a little too formal to wear such a thing. But, he didn't seem to mind it. He looked, happy if I recall correctly when he came to pick me up that morning. I made my New Year's wish for happiness with love as he stood behind me. And that night, he took me to visit his apartment. After I escaped my Furisode of course, can't were that thing for too long.

If you have Keiko's imagination, I'll tell you now, that did not happen. Even though he ended up rejecting me, he was still truly a gentleman. He just wrapped me up in a big blanket, and we sat near the large window of his apartment, talking for hours. He had a very nice apartment, it looked like a rich family could live there comfortably, but he lived there all by himself. It smelt like him. Just this rich cologne smell that was sweet and not overpowering. I ended falling asleep in his arms. The last time I saw him was on the 6th, a few days after New Year's. And I didn't think anything was wrong. Nothing was wrong, we were together sharing a growing affection for each other. He said he was leaving for America for business for a few weeks, but was looking forward to coming back to Japan. A week after that, I got a letter from the Love Company (the Omiai arrangement folks) telling me, how much I was truly admired by him.

Truly admired is just another way to say, 'you're totally rejected'. That's fine, that was totally fine. Because I also got another letter. A letter from my home town, my old high school Karakura offering me a job as a teacher for first year students. I loved living in Osaka though, and working at Mizuhiro High school. But everything happens for a reason, doesn't it? I wouldn't have taken this job if I was still waiting for that man to come back.

I was just really stupid, or maybe it was the holidays that took place during the time, but I really fell for him. And even though it's been so many weeks since I last spoke to him, I still think about him, a lot.