Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, nor any of it's characters. Those belong to Tite Kubo. I only own the story and the idea.

Chapter 1

"Mommy...please wake up. Mommy! You told me to run, and I did. I came back. But why...why aren't you waking up?"

The sound of an ambulance grew stronger as the pouring rain raged in intensity. A pool of blood had already started to show itself as the young 9-year-old clung to his mother's wrinkled shirt. How fitting was it that she wore a white business-like dress to work today, only to have it stain crimson with her own blood.

30 minutes ago:

The small boy had just gotten out of another normal day of school. He rushed towards his mother and attempted to jump onto her in affection. "Ichigo, honey, you should be more careful. What would happen if mommy couldn't catch you, huh? Then you would fall." Masaki Kurosaki smiled affectionately at her son as her orange waves rested slightly lower than her shoulders. Said boy with the same bright orange head merely giggled in an attempt to feign innocence. Grasping his hand, Masaki started leading the way back home, a short walking distance from the school.

Glancing up, she noted the drifting dark clouds overhead as they gathered together. "Looks like a storm is about to start. Better hurry now," she sighed. Ichigo looked up at his mother and laughed, "It's not so bad, mommy. I love the rain! It helps things grow, like flowers and trees. I even learned in school that it helps people like us, too!" Masaki only smiled in reply. Her son sure was smart for his age. "Plus," he continued, "whenever a storm ends, the sun seems to always shine brighter afterwards. It gets so much warmer and livelier, just like you!"

They were nearing their home just about 5 blocks away. Suddenly, from out of a nearby alleyway, a man dressed in black came running towards them. He pulled out a gun in front of Masaki and Ichigo, halting their stroll. "Don't say anything or do anything. Just give me any money you have and no one has to get hurt." The man sounded angry and desperate. At that moment, time seemed to slow for Masaki. The only thought in her mind was of protecting her son from the imminent danger. She really only had two options: give the man what he wanted and hope he does nothing to harm them, or take a chance and try to fend him off, giving her son a chance to flee and call for help. As quickly as the situation started, she made her decision. She still had her pride to hold up, and she couldn't risk anything from chance.

"Ichigo, run!" Masaki lunged at the man, attempting to overpower him and grab the gun from his hand. Turning her head, she yelled, "Go and run to a safe place. Hide and stay where you are until I find you. Go, now!"

Ichigo was stunned. Not grasping the situation in his head completely, his body went on autopilot, and, soon enough, he dragged his feet and bolted away from the scene. At this point, he wasn't sure if he had started to tear from fear or if it was just the rain.

He soon found a place far enough and hid himself out of harm's way. It was a park, practically empty due to the rain coming down without relent. He found a green tube that kids would play in and huddled inside, shaking with a great intensity, allowing fear and anxiety to wash over him like the rain did to the area around him.

After about 10 minutes, he had a thought of going back home to tell his father, but he was too worried about his mother, his kind nature showing. He slowly walked back to where his mother was.

Despair was the only thing that showed in his wide eyes as he reached her. He saw a body on the ground, lifeless and unmoving. He quickly ran towards it and crouched down. There was no doubt in his head that this was indeed his mother, if the orange hair and white dress were anything to go by. He grabbed onto her, shaking her frantically, whispering. He tried to wake her up. Why else would she be on the ground? She had to be sleeping. There was just no way she could be…

An ambulance quickly made it's way over to them. A passerby who noted the dead woman on the ground called it before Ichigo reached her. Paramedics marched out in quick strides, prying the boy off the lifeless body. The woman was declared dead on sight. They had apparently notified the boy's father, Isshin Kurosaki, since he arrived shortly after with his twin 4-year-old daughters. The paramedics quickly explained their hypothesis on what happened, and, along with the boy's reluctant testimony, confirmed their suspicions.

With the death of Masaki, the Kurosaki household became very quiet for a short time. Six months had gone by, and Ichigo became severely depressed from the loss. His father, Isshin, tried his best to keep the family alive after the tragedy. To him, it seemed like they would all pull through. Yuzu and Karin, the twins, were saddened at first, but quickly accepted the fact that their mother was gone. On the outside, Ichigo looked accepting as well. However, he still felt a pang of guilt deep inside. He felt as if he should have stayed with his mother to help her, to protect her. As if staying there would increase the chances of her survival. He soon developed the idea that his mother's death was his fault because he wasn't strong enough to protect her.

On the one year anniversary of the incident, they all went to Masaki's grave to pay respect and show their love and affection to their once living family member. The next day, Ichigo wandered to the park where he had hid on that fateful day, staring at the green tube where he coward in fear. Sitting on the swings nearby, he slowly rocked his body back and forth with little effort in a saddened state. Being preoccupied with his inner thoughts, he didn't even notice the presence of another person sitting on a swing next to his.

"Hey!" Ichigo gasped at the sudden voice, turning wide eyed at the newcomer. The boy next to him looked no more than his own age, short blue locks rivaling the sky and cyan eyes as deep as an ocean. He wore a silver long sleeved shirt with the words "I'm tough" written in red on the center, blue shorts along his waistline, and simple blue, brand-named shoes. Ichigo didn't even realize he was staring until the voice appeared again, startling him.

"Uh-uhm, sorry. What was that?"

"I asked you why you were all alone." Ichigo deadpanned and replied with a hint of sarcasm, "I could be asking you the same thing. If I wasn't here, wouldn't you be in the same position as me?"

The boy laughed and gave a toothy grin. "Yeah, I guess you're right about that one. But then again, I only came out here because I saw you all alone here with this sad face, so I thought I could cheer you up. Sorry if I'm so upfront, since I don't even know you, but I felt inclined, ya know?"

What's with this kid? He felt inclined? That was rich. He could have minded his own business and continued walking to wherever it was he was going. Ichigo was just fine. At least, that's what he wanted to believe. In truth, he was miserable. It was the day after the one year anniversary of his mother's death. Of course he was going to be sad, even if he didn't show it to his family. He had to be strong for them. He couldn't be weak, never again. "Well, thanks, I guess. But I didn't ask for your help, you know."

The bluenette was slightly taken aback by that remark, but let it slide. He regained his composure and tried to find the source of the redhead's evident pain. "Well, if you don't mind me asking," he paused to look at brown eyes, almost like pools of chocolate. "Why are you here all alone and sad? It's such a nice day, so shouldn't you be playing or something?"

A sigh escaped Ichigo's lips as he reluctantly answered, "There's nothing great about today. It is the day after my mother's death one year ago. So, I'm sorry if I'm not exactly living up to the normal 10-year-old ways." Blue eyes widened at hearing those words. His face fell into one of sadness and grief, but also understanding. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sure that's tough to deal with. Oh, I'm not trying to pity you or anything. I'm kinda bad at this type of stuff, hehe." The redhead let out a huff and bitterly glanced away.

Almost feeling defeated, the bluenet popped an idea into his head. "Hey, stay right here. I'll be back in a few minutes," he exclaimed with a grin. Ichigo, confused, watched the other boy retreat to God-knows-where. He did have to admit, the extra company wasn't exactly unwanted. It kept his mind off of certain things. A few minutes later, the boy returned and shoved something in front of Ichigo's face. It was an ice cream cone with two scoops of blue ice cream. Puzzled, he looked at the other boy in front of him, seeing he had his own ice cream, orange in color instead of blue.

The boy smiled while licking his own cone. "I wanted to cheer you up. I hope you take my offer in blueberry ice cream. I didn't know what flavor you wanted, so I just went with our different hair colors!" The bluenette smiled widely, showing pure happiness and truth in his actions. For some reason, Ichigo felt a fluttering sensation below in his stomach. The ice cream was probably making him hungry, he deduced. Accepting the offer with a small smile, he took his cone and enjoyed his snack, along with the company of a complete stranger who he felt more relaxed with for some reason.

The two talked for a while, both laughing here and there over trivial topics. Ichigo gave away his name, feeling more comfortable around the other. They had talked so much that before they knew it, a good hour had passed by like nothing, the sun just about to set for the early evening.

Realizing he never learned this mystery boy's name, he decided it was about time to ask. It was only fair since he gave away his own name. "Hey, I never asked. What's your name? I mean, you know who I am now, so shouldn't I learn who you are?" Cyan eyes stared blankly before registering the question and giggled. "Oh, sorry about that. My name is-" Just then, a text tone cut the boy off as he searched for his phone in his pocket. Taking it out and silently reading the words on the screen, he let out a growl and huffed in annoyance. He got up and dusted himself off.

"Sorry, but I gotta go. It's urgent." He turned to look into brown, confused eyes. If Ichigo saw correctly, he could have sworn that the other boy looked pale and sad, almost petrified to the core. What did he read on his phone? Did something happen? That must have been the case. Why else would the bluenette display such a worrisome face when, just seconds ago, he was brimming with confidence?

"Oh, that's alright. M-maybe we can meet up again soon. Same place, same time?" The boy before him gave him a saddened expression with a weary smile before glancing away. "Yeah, maybe…Well, I gotta leave now. I hope I cheered you up. Goodbye…"

Ichigo couldn't make any words back as he gaped, watching his seemingly new friend's back as he quickly walked away into the distance. With that, he sighed, only hoping he could actually meet with the boy again. He really did brighten his mood. That's when he realized he never got to hear what the other's name was. That saddened him a bit, but he'll learn the next time they meet, surely. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and, finally, months turned into years. The one person who made him smile after the incident, even if for a little bit, was nowhere to be found. Ichigo went back to the park every day on the same time for a whole year. Eventually, he became depressed at the truth. The truth that he wouldn't be seeing his new friend anymore. They wouldn't get the chance to meet and talk again.

He was gone.

AN: So, that just happened. Ok, so, please bear with me on this. I have this idea going on and I just had to write about it. This actually happens to be my first multi-chapter fic ever, as well as my very first uploaded fic onto fanfiction. So, while I am a bit nervous, I don't doubt myself as a capable writer. I just ask that you, as the readers, enjoy what I have to offer, and PLEASE review! I very do much enjoy any forms of constructive criticism because I take those into consideration when I write. So don't be afraid to speak to me about any ideas or topics about my new story, as well as anythings you guys might think can make it better! However, if you have something rude and demeaning to say to me, please refrain from doing so. I won't give up this story no matter what, but I wouldn't appreciate being slandered...food for thought :D. ANYWHO, that took longer than expected, so just sit back and enjoy the ride (hopefully)!