Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. If I did, I'm not sure there's anything that I'd really change anyway.

AN: Well, here goes my first foray into Bleach. I'm not an expert on the manga/anime, but I've seen enough of it that I feel pretty comfortable giving this a shot. On a similar note, I might use the manga version of certain events sometimes, and the anime version other times, depending on which fits my intentions best. Now, I believe I said "Pairings inside," so if you just want to figure out what the pairings are as you go along, this would be the time to look away.

Main pairings are IchiRuki and IshiHime, as well as some pretty minor IchiHime. Most others are too minor to really mention here.

With that out of the way, I haven't seen many fics like this, so I hope you enjoy.

"Talking"

Thought

Time Passage

This wasn't quite how Ichigo Kurosaki had planned to spend his evening. He'd expected his wackjob of a father to attack him the second he stepped through the door. That was normal. He'd expected Yuzu to try scolding them until they stopped. That was normal. He'd expected Karin to ignore them and eat his share of their meal. That was normal. He hadn't honestly even been surprised that another spirit had shown up at his house. All of these things, strange as they may have seemed to an outsider, were all common occurrences to the Kurosaki Clinic and its inhabitants.

Being sprawled out on the ground, with bones broken and blood dribbling from his mouth and nose, as a real life Shinigami dueled with a huge spiritual monster that had recently attacked both of his kid sisters was far from normal, even by his unusual standards. As he tried to move, only to fall back as what he could only describe as sheer agony speared its way through his body, he had to admit that it really was his fault. He didn't regret trying to protect his little sister, he could never regret that, but he should have reacted faster when this "Hollow" thing had slammed him into the ground. If he'd been just a second faster, its fist wouldn't have been able to strike him a second time, wouldn't have quite literally crushed the life out of him.

Barely able to watch through the cloud of mist covering his eyes, he managed to make out the spray of blood as the strange dark-haired spirit cut through the monster's skull with little effort, before rushing to catch his sister as she fell from its grip. He couldn't see Karin well enough to tell if she was still breathing, but somehow he just knew that she was going to be safe. The thought was comforting as the world around him began to blur and darken, the pain he'd felt before beginning to give way to a sense of numbness.

Pulling off one last smile as he saw the Shinigami checking over his sister, he allowed the darkness to consume him.

Stupid, stupid, stupid! She couldn't help cursing herself as her Zanpakutō tore through the Hollow's arm, and she prepared to leap at it as it reared back with a howl. Shinigami weren't supposed to be shocked into inaction no matter what the cause. They were taught better than that. Yet she hadn't reacted in time when the strange human boy had broken free of the Kidō Bakudō Number One. She wouldn't have been surprised at all if it were a Shinigami, or maybe even a regular spirit, but a living, breathing human? It was simply unheard of.

Taking the chance, she leapt forward and brought the blade downward over the Hollow's head, cleanly cutting it in half. She was already on her way to catch the boy's sister as the Hollow began to fade away, easily breaking her fall before she could be hurt. A brief inspection made it obvious that the girl was alive, if unconscious. She set her down gently, and rushed to check the person she was far more concerned with. She'd seen the hit he'd taken, and she would undoubtedly be shocked even further if he hadn't been injured by a shot like that. When she reached him though, it was worse than she thought.

Much worse.

Blood was everywhere, the ground below him was shattered, and before she'd even stepped close enough to make certain, she knew what she was going to find. And just as she'd feared, she was right. The boy had died. He'd died because he'd charged in, and she hadn't reacted fast enough. It was far too familiar for her tastes. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, her soul phone went off before she could delve too deeply into those thoughts. Flipping it open and taking a glance, she decided that the least she could do was make sure his father and sisters were safe in their rooms before going off to find her next target. It wasn't too far away, and neither of the three were injured so seriously that she would have to step in to do something. But taking the body somewhere safe would have to wait. Unlike his family, he wouldn't be in any immediate danger. It certainly wasn't soon enough for his soul to start changing. No, she would come back and give him a proper sending off just as soon as she had destroyed the next Hollow.

When she found it, the Hollow was pathetically weak. It took mere minutes to track it down and cleanse it. It took an equally short time to return to the place where she'd failed to protect the strange human boy that had been trying to protect his sisters.

The boy whose body was gone.

Ichigo Kurosaki was dead. He'd known it was going to happen long before he'd finally allowed the darkness to consume him, allowed the pain to leave his body.

So imagine his surprise when his eyes opened to find the large, frowning, giant-mustached face of Tessai Tsukabishi inches away from his own.

Ichigo Kurosaki screamed. From a few rooms away, Kisuke Urahara grinned.

"Well, I guess he's awake."

AN: Well, there's the prologue. A little short, but that's usually how it is with my prologues. As you can see, I based this more on the anime version of the first chapter. I've only read one other Bleach story with this type of plot, so I hope it's original enough to enjoy. Anyway, I'd love to hear what you have to say, so R&R if you feel like taking the time.