Hiya! For those of you new to this story, I hope you enjoy it! For those who happen to be returning, I am currently in the process of rewriting this. Nothing major should change, but I can't say that for certain until I finish. But anyways… ONWARD! ONWARD TO VICTORY!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN BLEACH, ICHIGO, RUKIA, BYAKUYA, RENJI, ETC., ETC…!

XXX

Prologue

She supposed she felt bad for the kid at the street corner.

His eyes, a once righteous mahogany color, were dulled as he stared at the faces beating into him. Their bodies morphed into one, and he found it hard to keep his eyes open, let alone fight back. The best he could do was close his eyes and pray that this ended quickly. He had no hope. Nobody would save him.

She supposed that she was bored, helping him fight against the other thugs.

His once bright orange hair was covered in bright, fresh blood; blood that invaded his mouth, his eyes, his everything. Damn it! How he wished he could fight back, push his oppressors away, and run. But that wasn't going to happen; he was helpless, a prisoner in his own body. More blood squirted out, and he idly wondered if he would die. Not like it would matter. Nobody would care if he died.

She supposed that she couldn't stand the sight of the bloody mess and steady drip-drop of his blood hitting the concrete.

As if mocking his thoughts, a figure appeared. At first, he tensed, prepared for the onslaught of additional hands and feet that would, inevitably, leave him crippled. Time progressed slowly; he waited with an anticipation so nerve-wracking that he could feel his heart beating, almost as if it was about to fall out of his chest. Moments turned into minutes, and he realized something; the figure wasn't going to hurt him. His hope increased, if only slightly, and he took a look at the newcomer. The figure, as he noticed, was a girl, small in stature with a harsh expression set to her gaze; her eyes were a dark, unnaturally deep blue, accented more by her pitch black hair that fell just above her shoulders. She was beautiful. Too beautiful, he thought, to be fighting a bunch of random thugs she didn't even know. Just who was this girl, really?

She supposed she wanted to help the helpless in this battle.

And fight she did. The bodies, the blob. He couldn't remember who they all were; maybe he never knew who they were at all. Fights like these never made sense—but yet, people continually tried to fight with him because of his reputation. He usually won, but sometimes, like today, he was off just a few inches or just a couple punches, and he'd ended up a bloody mess. Nobody ever came to help him. Not his gang, not his friends, not even his family; they all abandoned him, all called him worthless. He was starting to believe it.

She supposed she cared for him, if just a tiny bit.

But this girl… in just a few moments, she had taken down the entire blob, returning them back to human figures, all falling like some demented game of Ring around the Rosie. The last person, a man with blue hair brighter than the sky, was taken down with a swift kick to his jaw. He hit the ground, the thud filling the air as the rancid odor of blood filled his nostrils. Ichigo cringed; not out of fear, but pity. Would he ever get up again?

She supposed she was lonely, with her brother away and no true friends to call her own, nobody to take away her feeling of abandonment. She was nothing, but maybe here, she could be at least something.

Apparently so, because a few moments later, he and the rest of his gang sent scathing looks towards him, the fallen, before running off with tails between their legs. He hadn't realized how grateful he was; he would get another day to live, another day to fight. The thought brought a small, barely noticeable smile to his lips. Then, with more grace than he thought possible, he passed out.

She supposed she could use some friends; and what better way to make them than saving a life?

But before he passed out, he asked something. He couldn't, nor would he ever, remember the exact words, but it seemed significant enough for the girl's eyes to light up and smile. Picking up his battered, beaten body, she leaned most of his weight into her small frame, surprisingly strong for someone so tiny. He wasn't sure how long they travelled, with him leaning against her shoulder and her caring for him, but he realized somewhere along the way that they were at a house. It was a mansion, really; with its pure white walls and strangely calming atmosphere, it was foreign to him; him, who has never had friends nor family to call his own; him, who knew nothing of this girl's hardships; him, who was being dragged into the house, to a nondescript room, most likely the same as the others; him, who was dropped on a marvelous, down-filled bed, the soft material adorning his bruised body; him. He said something else to the girl and heard, through battle hazed ears, her laugh, the sound so carefree… He was pretty sure she was an angel…

She supposed that she did because of her heritage or maybe some sort of obligation; because, well, she was…

She leaned down, almost as if telling him a secret, her eyes smirking mischievously. When he thought she was going to answer, she turned on her heel just as quickly and left the room, leaving him alone and slightly confused. A few minutes and one curse later, she brought out an icepack, along with various medical supplies, and began to clean up the blood around his injuries. He couldn't stop the cringe as different salves stung against his skin. The ice burned against his aching muscles, but soon felt nothing but peaceful oblivion. Seeing his state, she leaned forward and said, in a slightly gruff voice unfit for her body…

Rukia Kuchiki.

"My name is Rukia Kuchiki."

XXX

So what did you think? This will be an IchiRuki story, set in an AU with very little canon elements (save for characters and their interactions). Sorry if it was a little short; once the story starts, I'll increase the number of words indefinitely, but for now, I felt as though the prologue could stop here. If you're interested in reading this story, leave a review or some other type of recognition.

That's all for now, folks. Have a great day!