Summary: Rukia Kuchiki and Ichigo Kurosaki were neighbours since they were 2 and 3. Suddenly, 6-year-old Rukia and her older brother-slash-guardian move away, leaving a hole in 7-year-old Ichigo's already broken heart where love should be. Now, after several years have passed, Ichigo notices that the apartment next from his has been bought. Will his new neighbour relight the old sparks of his past? How will he cope? AU IchiRuki

Memory/Thoughts

Rukia's Handwriting

Ichigo's Handwriting

"O-ran" a dark-haired toddler crawled over to the fence and peaked through the gap at a toddler with bright orange hair. The little boy wrinkled his nose at the curious girl.

"Purple-eyes" he replied. He wandered over to the fence and sat down opposite the girl. "My name is Ichigo."

"Rukia!" A dark-haired teen of about 18 ran over and picked up the girl, who's name was Rukia, apparently. "Stop annoying our new neighbours!"

"Oh no, I think its wonderful they're getting to know each other." Ichigo's father Isshin smiled. "Who knows, they could grow up together as friends, then couple,then a marriage-"

"Yes, well, maybe." Rukia's teen brother Byakuya broke in. He was struggling to hold Rukia because she kept squirming, eager to go to the boy with bright hair again.

"Wanna play with my Chappy dolls?" a 4-year-old Rukia stood at Ichigo's garden gate.

"No." 5-year-old Ichigo scowled.

"Wanna play hide-and-seek?"

"No!"

"Will you play something with me? You can choose." Rukia sighed and rolled her eyes when Ichigo jumped up.

"I know!" he grinned evily. "We're ninjas saving the world from evil nuns."

"Even better!" Rukia clapped her hands ecitedly.

"Behind you! Nun, six o'clock!"

Rukia whipped around and lashed out at the air with a high kick and some punches.

"There! Three of them, on your left!"

"Lets handle them together, back-to-back!"

Rukia and Ichigo press their backs together and launch a vicious duo attack on their invisable enemies.

"I didn't know you play guitar, Strawberry." 6-year-old Rukia leaned over the fence, her tiny frame sporting a Chappy t-shirt and shorts. Her hair was split into two braids, her usual hair style for early spring. Ichigo, seven, looked up from his new guitar and scowled.

"I just got it, I'm still figuring out how it works."

"Let me show you, I can play too!" Rukia runs into her house and comes back with a guitar covered in Chappy stickers. She climbed the fence easily and sat cross-legged opposite to the spicky-haired boy. "So what do you know already?"

"C and D," Ichigo demonstrated by strumming the chords. Rukia snorted and covered her mouth to stop her from giggling. "What?"

"That was E and A Straawberry-head," she giggled.

"Oh," Ichigo blushed. "Well show me C then." Rukia placed her fingers ready and waited for Ichigo to copy her. She fixed his fingers when he placed them wrong. Ichigo was blushing bright red, noticing how close Rukia was to his face.

"Why are you so red, Ichigo?" Rukia asked him, still in his face.

"I dunno," he replied honestly. "Its just I havent been so close to a girl other than my sisters before."

Rukia smiled. "I've never been this close to a boy either." She looked down at their guitars with a blush. "You can strum it now, your finger are in the right position." Ichigo gave it a quick test and Rukia nodded. "Yep, C Chord."

"And D?"

"Here, like this."

"Ichigo!" Rukia leaned out of her bedroom window, in her swimsuit.

"What? Oh, uh, what are you wearing?" Ichigo blushed, scratching his head.

"My swimsuit, Stupid Strawberry!" Rukia laughed, twirling around her room. Her swimsuit was purple-pink with a bare back and a white Chappy on the front.

"You're still obsessed with Chappy rubbish, Midget?" he smirked. He started calling her Midget this summer when he started growing taller than her.

"I'm not a midget, I'm petite!" Rukia shreiked. Ichigo laughed.

"Whatever. Anyway, can you practice with me later? I wanna see if I've got that song perfect."

Rukia grinned. "Sure. And I have a new one for you too, its one I wrote myself."

"Sounds great." Ichigo smiled geniunely.

"Ichigo?" Rukia stood in the doorway to the waiting room. Ichigo was curled up in one of the hospital chairs, crying but hiding his face from her and Byakuya, who stood behind her.

"Go and comfort him, Rukia. I will go to his father." he told her gently. Rukia nodded. She made her way over slowly and sat next to the orange-haired boy. His shoulders were shaking with each sob.

"She's dead," he cried through his arms. "She's dead, she's dead, I killed her."

"No you didn't Ichigo."Rukia insisted, but she knew how stubborn the boy would be.

"Yes I did!" he screamed, suddenly facing her. His face was red and blotchy and his eyes were swollen with tears spilling from them. "If I stopped pestering her to go to the store to buy my favourite ice-cream she wouldn't have been in that car crash." He bit his lip to stop himself from screaming out. He was surprised to find himself in Rukia's arms a second later.

"Don't cry Ichi," Rukia whispered. "I hate seeing you cry."

"I'll never cry again. It hurts too much." Ichigo croaked, sniffling into Rukia's shoulder. "R-Rukia?"

"Hmm?"

"You're my best friend."

"I know. You're my best friend too."

"Promise we'll be friends forever?"

"Yeah. Even if we move far away and never see each other again, we'll never forget each other."

"Good. I don't want to lose you too."

"You'll never lose me, Ichi. You'll always have me."

Late autumn brought a chilly wind. Ichigo stood in front of Rukia's house staring at the sign in front of him: FOR SALE.

"How could you?" he screamed. Rukia opened the door. "You said I wouldn't lose you! Now you're leaving me too!"

"Ichigo, please stop screaming," Rukia sobbed, in tears as she ran down the path to him. She tried embracing him but he pushed her away.

"You're moving," he gritted his teeth. "Far away where I'll never see you! I'm losing everyone I've ever cared about! Why are you leaving Rukia?"

"Nii-san got a job up North," Rukia sniffed quietly. "We have to go."

"I don't want you to go. Stay with me. Please."

"I-I can't."

Ichigo stood there, towering over the crying girl in front of him. He wanted to scream, shout, kick, throw the biggest tantrum ever and beg Byakuya not to take the job. But not only that, he wanted to take Rukia and run away with her where they won't lose each other again. Instead he reigned in his turmoil and sighed, shuddering. Once he calmed down he pulled Rukia into his arms and let her cry into his shirt.

"I-ichi?" she whispered.

"Promise we'll write. Every week." he murmured into her soft hair.

"Of course!"

"Promise we'll send each other presents for birthdays and Christmas."

"I'll send loads!"

"Promise we'll find each other again."

"I promise."

YAY Bleachy fanfic! My internet's been disconnecting so I don't know how often I can up date, if at all! :/ so enjoy for now :P Also, when it said 'timeskips to adults' I mean, this part, plus some upcoming chapters are more like prologues, which is why they're mostly in italics in this part, seeing as their memories. Who's remembering? I'll let you decide ;)