Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN BLEACH, TITE KUBO-SENSEI DOES. IF YOU SAY THAT I OWN BLEACH, I SHALL HAVE YOU CHASED BY NEL AND SAY THAT YOU CAPTURED ICHIGO.

Note: This will take place before Ichigo loses his powers, but after he saves Rukia. [:

[3rd person for the entire chapter]

Soul Society:
"Remember, you may not tell the Substitute Shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo, about this matter." The Captain Commander ordered.

"Yes, sir!" All the captains chorused.

Karakura City:
"Ichigo!" Rukia said sternly. "There's a big hollow downtown!"

"I know, I know," The 15-year-old bobbed his bright orange head.

"Then get to it!" Rukia yelled.

Great treatment I get on my birthday, Ichigo thought. July 15... a cursed day, for sure.

Later:
"You finally got Ichi-nii to get out of the house!" Yuzu yelled lightly and happily.

"Eh," Karin grunted. "He's turning a year older. Not much difference it makes."

"Karin-chan!" Her father yelled. "Ichigo is turning 16! That is an important age, you know. When I was sixteen-"

Karin did a jump kick, aiming for their father, Isshin's head. It connected and Isshin fainted. "Now that we've got the old man shut up, lets start decorating." Karin said, brushing her hands off on her pants.

"Karin! Don't just knock down our dad!" Yuzu worriedly looked over at Isshin.

"He'll be fine." Rukia nodded. She smiled. "Just prepare everything, and I'll tend to him."

The two young girls nodded and started to decorate.

Later:
Ichigo arrived later, killing the massive hollow that was downtown with ease. He arrived and opened the door and was showered by confetti. "What?" Isshin, who had bandages around his head (courtesy of Rukia), launched a surprise attack at Ichigo, who blocked with his arm. He recovered from the attack and looked around his living room. Isshin, Yuzu, Karin, and Rukia were in the middle of the brightly lit living room, full with decorations. "Wow..." Ichigo looked around.

"Thanks, guys."

"No problem, Ichi-nii! Its you're birthday, after all!"

Ichigo cracked a rare grin. "Everyone-" Suddenly, Ichigo fell to his knees in pain, his vision distorted. Everything was in bright neon colors and flashed. He closed his eyes, and fell into darkness.

When Ichigo opened his eyes, he looked up to see Rukia's back to him, surrounded by darkness. He reached out to touch her, and she turned around. No, wait, He thought. This girl in front of him was taller than Rukia, had longer hair than Rukia, and was in a captain's coat. But the girl in front of him had eyes that were exactly like Rukia's- defiant, stern, and clear. Her hair swayed ever so slightly in a breeze, and whenever there was a particularly strong burst of wind, it seemed that she would fall over. Her clothes hung slightly loose, and her shinigami uniform pure white, but burnt on the bottoms. Her hair whipped across her face, and slowly, gracefully, she brushed it away. She turned her back to Ichigo once again, and looked at something in the distance.

"Who are you?" Ichigo spoke up after mustering his courage, his voice unnaturally calm and silent.

"I'm… Haruna… Renge Haruna…" She spoke softly and slowly. She turned torwards the orange-haired shinigami. "And you… are Kurosaki Ichigo." Though not spoken as a question, he nodded, instinctively. "Look around you, Ichigo… This is my world…" Butterflies that reminded him of Hell Butterflies flew around him and landed on his shoulder. He held up his hands, in case Haruna was about to attack, but paused, as no attack came his way. He opened his eyes as the darkness receded, and saw the sky first. The sky... the pure blue sky they had in Karakura was not blue in the sky he saw. It was a fiery red... a sunset red. A burning red. Looking down, he saw the ground was nothing but dried dirt, with cracks all over the place. A mild sandstorm was occurring in the distance, but Haruna paid no attention to it.

He looked back at her, who was now facing him, trying to explain something. "Who I am… I'm... I don't know how to put this... I'm a shinigami, first and foremost. I was once called the greatest captain, and other shinigami rivaled Yama-jii—no, Captain Commander Yamamoto Genryuusai-sensei's power and spiritual pressure to mine. The day I was supposed to be a captain, a great disaster fell upon the Soul Society and all signs led to me being responsible. Even I knew that the situation was horrible. It was then that I was locked up in people's souls. You see," Haruna paused to take a breath and recall her memories. "I was born on the same day as you, and banned on the day I, and you, years later, was born. The ruling was this: I would be banned for 300 years, banned to the human world, protecting those with high spiritual pressure from Hollows and the such. Every 50 years or so, I would have to change bodies, and by the time a child was around 50, they had either learned to live with their power, drown themselves in it, or control it. 16 years ago, the body I was sealed in's owner in drowned in his power, and therefore, it became my duty to eliminate him. The main goal for sealing was for me to eliminate threats. But from that moment 16 years ago, which had incidentally been the day you were born, I was sealed inside your soul, protecting you from the dangers present to you, yet your spiritual pressure was too much to contain, after Rukia had given you her powers. At that time, I was already useless. Then you gained your own powers, and I am no longer of use to you, as you are no longer of use to me. The ruling time limit has now passed, as I explained all of this to you."

"I'm leaving your body."

"So… what's gonna happen now?" Ichigo asked, understanding only a bit of the whole story.

"Wait... Am I going to die when you get out of my body?"Haruna laughed, a light laugh, lighting up the whole bloody red place. "Of course not, Ichigo, and I don't have enough power just yet, anyway. But you are leaving." Her voice rang lightly, like bells. "Wait—" He started, finally remembering to ask why she looked like Rukia, but didn't get to, as the red of the sky faded away in to darkness once again.

Author's Note: This is my first fanfic, but I really do hope you guys enjoy it, because I'm writing it just for you all! [: Please help me by giving me any advice, through PMs or reviews. Thanks so much~
Note: Haruna is her first name, while Renge is her last name. [:
I'm sorry its kind of short, too. ^^ But I wanted to end it at a mild cliffhanger. ^^

TO BE CONTINUED:

Chapter 2: The Lost Child.