Hi, it's garganta and this is my first fanfic ever and the first time I ever wrote something in English. So, I chose a more or less common topic for it just to get used to it. I hope you'll enjoy it though. Reviews are highly appreciated, so don't hold back. If it's shit, say it's shit. If it's awesome, say it's awesome. Have fun.

I own this story and Aiko. But Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

2 Years ago the winter war was won. Aizen was defeated. Peace embraced Soul Society and Karakura Town since then. Everything was fine, some would think. But Kurosaki Ichigo didn't think so. Sure, he was happy that everyone was fine and could live happily ever after but somewhere, deep inside his sick unconscious mind he was bored. Terribly bored. School was a piece of cake, he was steadily in the upper top 30 of every single student in Karakura High School, he still followed his duties as a substitute shinigami, he still got his "good morning fights" with his lunatic father, who somehow happened to be a captain of the gotei 13 (who knows how that happened). But he was bored. School was boring, because it was every week the same procedure. Killing some low level hollows was nowhere as exciting as it used to be, it was always something like dodge-dodge-slash-cutting mask-win. Fighting his father in the wee hours of the morning was just annoying as hell.

But the most important thing, above all these, was, that he missed her. He wouldn't admit it, but he missed her kicks and punches and yells and sucky drawings. But he wouldn't admit it. Never. He would prefer fighting Kenpachi to death than admit that he missed a certain violet eyed, annoying and crazy midget.

As he was strolling through Karakura in the late evening all these thoughts kept coming and going in his mind. He walked the same route he began using the last half year, enjoying the solitude and silence he found there. It was comforting. He walked past the playground, where he accepted his substitute shinigame duties after he first declined them. But Rukia wouldn't have it so she kept pressing on. Later he should learn, that she was always like that.

He kept walking until he reached his goal. The small creek, just at the beginning of the woods behind them except for one small girl, lonesome playground. He sat down and watched the creek, as it kept whispering silently soothing sounds at him and he left his thoughts wandering.

I wonder what Rukia's up to right now, he thought. Did she manage bankai by now? I mean it's been nearly two year. Since the war I didn't hear anything from her. Bet she's been busy. After all what we've been through together she wouldn't just forget about me. In the end I've been busy, too. School and stuff...

He let out a long, drawn sigh and decided to go back home. It was dark already. As he walked back the direction towards the playground he saw the girl still sitting on the swing.

"Oi, shouldn't you be at home, by now?" he asked her, when she was close enough to hear.

"Uh, hi, uh, Mister...I don't like being at home, so I stay as much outside as I can..." she mumbled silently.

Ichigo sat down on the other swing and watched her intendly. She couldn't be older than 9 or 10 years old, had straight, shoulder-lenght brown hair that was neatly combed and framed her face nicely. She had very dark eyes and big eyes that looked nearly black. Her light brows where knitted together in a sorrowful frown and she chewed nervously on her bottomlip. She looked down.

Ichigo sighed and held his hand out.

"My name's Kurosaki Ichigo."

She looked up with a start and took his hand shakily.

"Uh, Urugawa Aiko..." came barely out of her lips.

"Well, Aiko. Would you like to tell me why you don't like being at home?"

"Um, ok. Uh, it's because my parents...they're, uh...they're always fighting and yelling. I don't like that. So, I come...uh, I go often out when it's getting dark. They never notice."

Ichigos permanent scowl deepened.

"But you do realize that it's dangerous for a girl your age to be outside that late?"

"Hey, I'll be 11 in a week!"

"Yeah, you are getting really old..." he mumbled annoyed.

They stayed silent for a few minutes, lingering in their own thoughts.

"Hey, you said you are here often. How come I never noticed you until just now?" Ichigo wondered.

"I don't know. You always looked so concentrated. What are you thinking of, when you are here, Kurosaki-san?"

Ichigo smiled sadly. What was he thinking of, really? He was thinking of many, many things but one certain person was always lingering and surfacing in his mind. Aiko was looking at him curiously and expectantly.

"About an old friend I haven't seen in a long time." he answered finally.

"Do you miss him?"

Ichigo had to chuckle at that. "Actually, she's a girl. But the way she acted I sometimes wondered if that's true..." he said with a half grin and dodged the question successfully.

"Tell me about her!" she said eagerly.

"Fine." was Ichigos reply, and he told her some things about Rukia. He of course didn't tell anything about that she was a Shinigami and that she was about to get executed but about her crappy drawings, her punches and kicks when he was mocking her about her height. Aiko had to laugh nearly the whole time and telling someone about Rukia made him actually feel good. He felt close to her again.

"She sounds like fun. I'd like to meet her someday" she smiled.

"When she comes back here to visit I'll let you meet her. I promise."

"I'm looking forward already! Oh, it's getting really dark. I better get going home..."

Ichigo sighed and stretched as he got up from his swing. "I walk you home, Aiko."

"Uh, you don't need to Kurosaki-san. It's really not far away, not even 5 Minutes."

She looked uncomfortable, so he didn't press. "Fine, but be careful, alright?"

"I will. Uh...", she began to stammer. "Uh..w-will you, uh...will you b-be here t-tomo...uh, tomorrow, too?"

Ichigo was suprised, but still kind of glad to know, that she'll be there tomorrow. "Yeah, I will." he smiled.

With that she smiled at him and waved him goodbye as she skipped her way to home. Not even a minute later Ichigo heard a high-pitched scream and a second later a gunshot. His blood freezed the instant he heard it and he whispered one name before he raced to the direction he heard it from: "Aiko."

Ichigo ran and was seconds later there, to see a scenery which made him sick. He had a hard time fighting off his urge to puke. There she was, little, innocent Aiko, having a whole lifetime to live yet with a hole oozing blood out right between her eyes. Right next to her dead body was the shivering, deadly frightened soul of Aiko, the broken end of a chain hanging out of her chest.

She was dead.

Ichigo looked around to see two middle aged men standing there, one holding a young woman tightly, the other holding a gun in violently shaking hand. There in this dark, deserted alleyway all Aiko wanted to do was walking home and ran into what seemed to become a raping scene and those two low lifes panicked and shot her.

"Unforgivable." was all Ichigo could think. He was furious. He couldn't think clearly. He ran towards the two men, forgetting about everything but one word.

Unforgivable.

He never in his life felt such rage and hatred towards anything or anyone. Not even Byakuya, as he wanted to kill Rukia with his own hands, if the execution wouldn't work out. Not even Ulquiorra as he kidnapped Orihime. Not even against Grand Fisher, the murderer of his mother. He forgot about everything but this unforgivable crime of shooting an 11 year old girl.

And that was his fault.

The Moment he moved he heard another shot and everything went black. Seconds later he opened his eyes and saw his body, with a hole oozing blood in his forehead. He looked down and saw his black kimono and felt Zangetsu on his back. He looked up and saw the young woman standing there, looking at their dead bodies and fumbling for her phone, but she head a hard time, with her shivering hands. The two men already ran away.

I'm not dead...am I? He thought.

He looked over and saw Aiko staring at him with panicked eyes and shivering like crazy.

"Aiko!" he shouted and ran over to her.

"Am I dead?" she asked with a low but surprisingly even and clear voice.

Ichigo could just look at her sadly. Her eyes clouded with tears and she began to sob.

"I don't- I don't w-want to die!" she cried and clutched his kimono tightly. Ichigo could just hug her, he didn't know what else to do.

"I'm sorry...", he said finally. "If I hadn't let you go alone, you still would live..." He felt sick with his guilt. It was his fault in the end. He shouldn't let her have her way so easily.

"Hey." She looked up at him with bloodshot eyes after all her crying. "I gotta send you to soul society."

She just looked at him questioningly. "That's where Rukia lives. You know, she's dead, too. But she's a shinigami. I am half. But thats pretty much to explain right now."

He let out a sigh. Look, I'll send you now over there. I promise, I'll come over and look for you. I'll let Rukia look for you, too, alright? Right now, I have still some things to do here, but I'll come for you."

He gave her a small, reassuring smile. "Promise?" she asked. "Promise." he answered. With that, he tapped the hilt of zangetsu against her forehead and hoped that he could keep his promise.