Hello boys and girls. I want to tell a story.

This story is a bit different from my usual fare. It's inspired by true events.

My dog, Parker, passed away the other day. I was a bit sad but I knew some time back that she didn't have much time left. So I was prepared. My six year old cousin, however, wasn't. She died in his arms while he was sleeping. As you could imagine, it was absolutely devastating. I really had no way of preparing him for this so I was left with trying to explain the cycle of life and death to a six year old. This fic is inspired by this encounter.

As for the pairing, it's incidental. I tried to make this as approachable as possible to anyone who has ever lost a pet.

So if you'll indulge me, I bring you my feature presentation. (Bleach doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Kubo.)

My Friend Enraku

The sun was moving across the sky in its normal path. Its rays were sprinkling upon the residents of Karakura Town before it landed on one building in particular...the Kurosaki residence. The beams of light peered through the window of a little girl with a Boston Terrier in her arms. It shone on her face, causing her eyes to crack open a bit. Adjusting to the light, the little girl shook her head and sat up on the bed. She ran her hand through her auburn hair and completely opened her eyes. This little girl thought that today would be a normal day, just like any other.

She would be wrong.

"Enraku." She whispered to the dog. "It's time to get up."

Enraku didn't respond.

The little girl puffed her cheeks in annoyance. "Enraku." She said sternly.

Again, he didn't wake up.

Next, she tried shaking the dog awake. But it didn't work either. This made her very nervous.

"Enraku...Enraku." Her voice was barely above a whisper now.

When the dog still didn't respond, the girl knew exactly what to do. She got out of bed and ran to her mommy and daddy.

Kurosaki Ichigo and Kurosaki Orihime were enjoying the last vestiges of sleep when the bedroom door flew open, hitting the wall with the knob. Now, they were caught in the in-between of sleep and wake.

"Mommy! Daddy!" The youngest Kurosaki yelled at the top of her lungs.

"Misato-chan." Ichigo groaned as his mind started swimming towards wakefulness. "It's early in the morning. What's wrong?"

"Enraku isn't waking up." She said with tears in her eyes.

"Maybe he's still asleep." Orihime offered.

"But I was shaking him." The little Kurosaki said. "He's still not up."

The two parents sighed.

"Ichigo, can you go check on Enraku?" Orihime asked her husband as she dug her face into the pillow, trying to get some more sleep.

The orange haired man sat up and stretched out his limbs. "Give me a second." He moaned as he heard that satisfying pop. The substitute Shinigami pulled away the covers and, realizing that he was only in his boxers, reached towards his nightstand and grabbed some pajama pants. After he put them on, he walked languidly over to his daughter's room, expecting the dog to yip loudly. (Enraku always did that when Ichigo was near. It meant that he was about to go for a morning walk.)

"Enraku." Ichigo called out to the dog. "Time for a walk."

The dog didn't respond which Ichigo found odd.

Ichigo walked into Misato's room. When he walked inside, he saw Enraku lying on the bed while Misato was shaking him, trying to get him up. Watching this scene, he felt like something was off about it.

"Misato, let daddy have a look." He said.

The little girl cheered up immensely. "You're going to be in good hands, Enraku." She smiled. "Daddy is a doctor trained by Grandpa. They're the best doctors in all of Karakura."

Ichigo's lips upturned a bit when he heard his daughter praise his skills. He walked over to the dog and tried shaking Enraku. It was then that he noticed how stiff the dog was. If he was still half-asleep, now he was fully awake.

"Orihime!" Ichigo yelled for his wife. His voice carried the worry he felt. If what he thought was true...

The young doctor quickly checked for vital signs. Enraku's nose was cold and dry. Ichigo opened the dog's mouth and realized there was no saliva. He put his ear to the dog's stomach but he couldn't hear a heartbeat at all. He opened the dog's eyelids and noticed that the pupils were rolled up into Enraku's head. This made Ichigo's eyes widened.

"What is it?" Orihime asked, running into the room dressed in her robe and slippers. There was an edge of concern in her voice. That was when she noticed that he was shaking his head.

Ichigo turned around and knelt to his daughter's level. The look in his eyes spoke volumes. "I'm so sorry." He whispered to his daughter. "There's nothing I can do."

Misato, being a seven year old girl, didn't understand what her father was trying to tell her. However, Orihime got it almost immediately. She knelt down and hugged her daughter.

"Sweetheart, I am so sorry but Enraku..." Orihime sighed, unable to put her feelings into words.

"What's wrong with Enraku?" Misato asked. Though she didn't know what was going on in full, she felt like she was going to be told something very bad.

"Enraku..." Ichigo closed his eyes and stroked Misato's hair. "Sweetie, he has passed away."

The little girl's brown eyes widened. She had never heard the phrase before. However, the way her father said made tears form in her eyes. "Passed away?" Misato whimpered.

"It means Enraku won't wake up, honey." Orihime wept tears not only for their beloved dog but also for her daughter.

"Why not?" She cried. "Why won't he wake up? Please wake him up."

Ichigo felt so powerless. Here was his daughter, suffering in front of him and there was nothing he could do. He couldn't bring back Enraku. All Ichigo and Orihime could do was try to comfort Misato in any small way, hugging and kissing her forehead.

"Enraku!" Misato cried. "Enraku! ENRAKU!"

The story of Enraku goes back to the time when Ichigo, Orihime and a six month old Misato went to a pet shelter. The young mother was looking for a pet to keep her company while Ichigo was finishing an internship at Karakura Hospital. They chose a shelter over a pet shop because she wanted to adopt a pet rather than buy a newborn.

As they were meandering around, little Misato's hand grabbed one of the cages containing a rather excitable black haired Boston Terrier. The dog proceeded to gently lick the little hand. Instead of being disturbed by it, the little girl laughed. In that moment, the Kurosakis knew exactly who they were bringing home with them.

The dog was soon given the name Enraku, after an old doll Orihime used to have. He was about three years old at the time and was relatively well trained. He never did his business indoors unless they put down newspapers. He knew a few commands like sit, stay and come. But his most important quality was the bond that he had with Misato. From the moment they met, Enraku rarely left Misato's side. He slept by her crib like a watchdog. He licked her fingers when she cried. It was like they were best friends from the onset. In fact, they were best friends and as inseparable as Calvin and Hobbes.

And it wasn't just Misato who loved Enraku. Orihime enjoyed giving him baths and basically babying the dog. Ichigo liked taking him for walks, especially when he put Misato in her stroller and took the two of them to a park. Almost immediately, he was less of a pet and more of a member of the family.

As Misato grew older, Enraku had become her primary playmate. They would go outside and play fetch or tag. She would pretend that she was a warrior princess and the dog was her loyal sidekick. When it was finally time for the young girl to go to school, Enraku would patiently wait by the front door until she returned. When she did, the dog happily pounced on her and gave the youngest Kurosaki sloppy dog licks and then they would immediately play. Many members of the Kurosaki's friends would see this bond between them and smile. It was a beautiful, innocent love.

However, in Enraku's tenth year, his health slightly deteriorated. He started getting slower. Soon after, he started losing sight in one of his eyes. Then he got a bulbous tumor in its right hind leg. But even with this, Enraku was still as playful as the day he first came into the Kurosaki household.

Ichigo and Orihime secretly took Enraku to the vet who was able to remove the tumor. However, he told them that the dog didn't have much time left. He offered to set an appointment to euthanize Enraku. The parents agonized over this decision but in the end, neither Ichigo nor Orihime had the heart to take away their daughter's beloved friend. They figured that Enraku should go naturally in the warmth of the family that loved him rather than on the cold of a steel table.

In these last four months or so, Ichigo and Orihime were trying to broach the subject of death and its permanence to their young daughter. But neither could find the right words. I mean, how do you tell your child that their beloved friend wasn't going to be around for long?

So when the time came, Ichigo and Orihime tried to comfort Misato without words, letting her cry and mourn the death of her beloved Enraku.

When most of Misato's tears had abated, Ichigo went to the phone and called Urahara-san, hoping if he could set up a funeral for Enraku. The shopkeeper immediately agreed and told him that everything would be ready in a couple of hours. He also asked Ichigo to bring any video of Misato and Enraku together. The orange haired man agreed and hung up the phone. After that call, the orange haired substitute made several more: one to his father, one to each of his sisters, and one to Tatsuki, Rukia (and, by extension, Renji), Sado and Ishida. He asked them to head to Urahara's shop and explained that they were holding a funeral for Misato's dog. Each one of them agreed to go.

Late in the afternoon, the Kurosaki family arrived at Urahara's shop by car. Orihime led Misato in first, allowing Ichigo to grab the box containing Enraku's body out of the trunk. He took it to the secret underground training area entrance in the back of the shop where Urahara himself was waiting. No words were exchanged but the two men had a silent understanding between them.

After reaching the training area, Ichigo saw Tessai waiting for him. Grabbing the box from the substitute Shinigami, the former Kido captain gently took hold of Enraku's body, taking it out of the box and into a coffin that Urahara had constructed specifically for their dog. (At any other time, he would have questioned why Urahara had such a thing just lying around. But today, he was grateful that Enraku would be given a proper burial.) When the task was complete, Tessai grabbed the coffin and led Ichigo to where the burial site was to be.

Every one of his friends and family had come to give his daughter support. They gave Misato hugs, candy and words of encouragement. Though the young Kurosaki girl was grateful for the kindness, it did little to stop her sadness. When the coffin that held the body of her best friend passed by, a fresh batch of tears fell from her eyes. Her friend, her first and best friend, Enraku, was gone and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

"Mommy, why can't you use your powers to bring Enraku back to life?" Misato asked her mother.

This was one of the questions that Orihime wanted to avoid at all costs. Although her Shun Shun Rikka could probably raise Enraku back from the dead, there was a certain ethical dilemma behind it. Their beloved dog didn't die by being run over by a car or something. He was just old. It was Enraku's time. Trying to invalidate his death felt wrong and violating the laws of natural passing was something Orihime didn't believe she could do.

"Because Enraku passed away naturally, honey." Orihime answered softly. "And my powers won't work on those who passed away naturally."

"But I miss him." The young girl began to bawl. "I love Enraku."

Orihime knelt down and hugged her daughter. "Aww, sweetie. I know." She told Misato. "I know."

Tatsuki walked over to Misato and ruffled her hair affectionately. "I know how you feel, kiddo." The black haired woman told the girl. "I had a pet gerbil when I was about your age who passed away."

"What did you do?" Misato asked.

"I cried for days every time I thought of her." The karate champion admitted. "But after a while, it didn't hurt anymore."

Misato frowned. It wasn't the answer she was looking for.

"But I just want him to come back." She cried. "I just want to play with Enraku again. Can't anyone do something?"

Unbeknownst to the young girl, a spark of inspiration flashed in Urahara's eyes. However, as quick as it came, it soon left. Whatever he could do with his scientific mind, it could never conquer death.

"I'm so sorry, Misato-chan." Isshin said, rubbing away her tears with his thumb. "At the very least, Enraku-chan died, surrounded by the people who loved him best. That's something right?"

Misato nodded as another round of tears fell from her eyes. She sniffled, looking through watery eyes as the body of her beloved friend, Enraku, was lowered by Tessai into a pre-dug hole in the ground. Everyone held a moment of silence for the dog out of respect for Misato. After the casket reached the lowest point, the shopkeeper's assistant filled the hole with dirt, effectively burying the dog. When the task was completed, he put up a marker on the freshly dug dirt. It read...

Here lies our beloved Enraku

He was a dog second
A friend first
He will forever be missed

Ichigo and Orihime each took hold of one of Misato's hands, gently rubbing their thumbs across her knuckles. Yoruichi went over to the little girl and knelt down to her level.

"Sweetie, do you want to give Enraku's eulogy?" She asked in a soft voice.

"What's a eulogy?" Misato asked back.

The woman known as the goddess of flash took a deep breath to give herself words necessary to explain. "A eulogy is something you say when a friend is gone." Yoruichi explained. "You tell everyone what you used to do with that friend: how much they made you laugh, how they were always around. You tell everyone how much you loved your friend."

The little girl thought about it for a moment. "Do I have to?" Misato asked, teary eyed.

"You don't have to, honey." Ichigo told his daughter. "But it may help you feel better."

Misato closed her eyes, blinking away her tears, and nodded slowly.

Yoruichi gently took hold of Misato's hand and guided her towards the marker. Then she turned the young girl around so that she was facing everyone.

"Now say what is in your heart." Yoruichi said. "Tell us about your friend, Enraku."

Misato pursed her lips as she tried to find the right words.

"My friend, Enraku?" Misato began as a new set of tears started to form in her eyes. "Enraku is my best friend. We did everything together. We played Hollow Fighter. We went to the beach together. We slept together. "

The tears that Misato was holding back started to fall in full force. "He is my friend, my best friend." She yelled out, crying more tears. "I don't want him to be passed away. I want him to come back. I want to have more fun with him. Please come back, Enraku."

Misato ran to her mother and cried into her waist. "Mama." She cried. The little girl continued to cry as Orihime rubbed her daughter's back.

After the funeral, Ichigo stepped away from the group and leaned against one of the boulder. Today had been a very trying day. It was times like this that he wished he could have a drink or a smoke, something to take the edge off.

"How are you holding up?" A voice asked him.

Ichigo turned around to see Uryuu Ishida looking at him.

"Ishida." Ichigo answered. "I don't know. Misato's taking this pretty hard."

"She loved the dog." Uryuu told him. "It is to be expected."

"I know." The substitute Shinigami sighed.

"The dog wasn't in the best of conditions near the end, was he?" The Quincy asked.

"Orihime and I knew for a couple of months that Enraku was going to die." Ichigo answered. "The vet gave us the option of putting him down but we didn't have the heart to do it. I'm not sure which was better: letting him die naturally or putting him down."

Uryuu was silent for a while. "There isn't any right answer here." He admitted.

Ichigo sighed again. He looked in the direction of his daughter. She was being comforted by everyone in attendance.

"I was thinking about getting her a new dog." Ichigo admitted.

"Let her grieve first, Kurosaki." Uryuu gave Ichigo his advice. "If you do it too quickly, it'll be like you're trying to replace Enraku."

Ichigo nodded subtly. "It just pains me to know that I can't do anything to make her feel better." He huffed.

The Quincy paused to adjust his glasses. He understood exactly where Ichigo was coming from. "If I know anything about the Kurosaki family, it's that they bounce back very quickly. They are too stubborn to stay depressed for so long."

Ichigo snorted quietly. That was probably the nicest thing he was ever going to get from Ishida.

Misato was being comforted by Rukia and Orihime. It was slowly starting to sink in that Enraku wasn't coming back.

"Auntie Rukia." Misato whispered.

"What is it, babydoll?" Rukia answered kindly.

"If Enraku passed away, what happens to his soul?" She asked.

"Well, because Enraku was a good dog, he'll go to the Soul Society." Rukia smiled.

"Well, actually..." Renji began. However, a swift kick to his shin by an irate Rukia silenced him. She glared at him, effectively telling him not to say anything.

"I'm sure that a Shinigami has already done the Konso on Enraku and he's already in the Soul Society." The 13th division lieutenant said as delicately as she could.

"Does that mean that you can bring his soul back?" Misato asked, hopeful that Auntie Rukia could bring back his friend.

Rukia's violet eyes flashed with pain. She didn't to hurt the little girl but she couldn't lie to her either. "It doesn't work like that, Misato-chan." She had to tell her. "When the soul leaves the body, it cannot return."

The youngest Kurosaki's eyes started to well up.

"But I'll tell you what." Rukia continued. "I will do my best to find Enraku. And when I do, I'll make sure to take care of him just like you would."

Misato sniffled and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "You'd do that for me?" She asked with a small smile.

"Of course." Rukia smiled back. "And one day, when you enter the Soul Society, you two will be reunited."

"Promise?" Misato asked.

"Promise." Rukia nodded.

The drive back home was eerily quiet. Ichigo was behind the wheel while Orihime sat in the back with Misato. In the little girl's hands was a DVD that Urahara made using the video clips of her and Enraku together.

"Mommy, daddy, why do our friends pass away?" Misato's question broke the silence and, in its place, left something even heavier. "Why do we die?"

It was an unavoidable question and one neither parent had the answer to.

"I don't know." Orihime admitted. "Honestly, I don't know."

"It's part of a cycle, Misato." Ichigo told his daughter. "We are born, we live and then we pass away. It's part of life."

"But I didn't want Enraku to die." The little girl said. By this time, she had cried the last of her tears. "I wanted to play with him some more."

"Oh, honey. I know." Her mother said. "But at the very least, Enraku lived a long and full life, surrounded by the family who loved him very much, right?"

Misato nodded.

"And just because he's no longer with us, it doesn't mean that Enraku's memory is gone." Her father added. "As long as we never forget him, he will live on forever in our hearts."

A sad smile crossed the little girl's face.

"When we get home, can we watch the video Urahara-san made?" Misato asked.

"Of course we can." Orihime answered.

Today had been a very exhausting day for the family, even more so for the youngest Kurosaki. She had fallen asleep in the car, proving just how tired Misato was. They had tucked her in and kissed her forehead. They knew that today would be the hardest. Tomorrow would be half as hard. And so on. But eventually she would heal. The ache wouldn't hurt as much.

As the old saying goes... Time Heals All Wounds

After putting Misato to bed, Ichigo and Orihime took the DVD that Urahara made and popped it into the player.

The first image that popped up was a chibi version of Urahara's face while he's giving the thumbs up. Under the image read 'An Urahara Kisuke Production'. They chuckled lightly at that.

Next came the words My Friend Enraku.

A clip of six month Misato was being cradled by Orihime while she was sitting on the couch. She was smiling at the person behind the camera.

"Ichigo-kun, did you finally get the camera to work?" The video Orihime smiled.

"Yeah." Ichigo's voice called out, off-screen. "It would be like my old man to give us a crappy camera."

Before the young mother could reply, something jumped onto the couch.

"Ahh, Enraku." Orihime squealed. "You want to see Misato-chan?"

The dog yipped happily and nuzzled the little girl's hand. Misato giggled happily.

"Aww." The orange haired woman cooed. "That's so cute. They are going to be fast friends."

The next clip was of a one year old Misato learning to walk for the first time.

"Come here." Ichigo said softly as he sat down on the floor with his legs crossed. He was holding out his arms. "Walk to daddy."

The little girl, with great difficulty, stood on her feet and slowly walked to her dad. However, as Misato was about to fall, Enraku appeared by her side. Instinctively, the young Kurosaki leaned against the dog and used him for support as she walked towards her papa.

"Come on." Ichigo cheered on. "You're so close."

At last, Misato arrived in her happy father's arms. Ichigo embraced his daughter and kissed her forehead.

"You did it. Good job." The young man cooed happily. He then looked down at Enraku, who made it all possible. He scratched under the dog's chin in gratitude. "Good boy.

The movie had more clips of Misato and Enraku together, from the time the family went to the beach, playing outside or just lazing about around the house. In watching this video, Ichigo and Orihime realized how big of an impact Enraku had on not only Misato but the entire family. He was truly a member of the family and he would be missed immensely. The two parents grabbed each other's hand and interlocked their fingers. They would have to be strong for their daughter during her time of need. They had to be.

At the end of the movie, a four year old Misato was smiling at the camera. In her arms was her beloved friend, Enraku. The parents remembered this. This happened during their cruise vacation.

"Say hi for Grandpa." Orihime's voice came from off camera.

"Hi Grandpa." The little girl waved with one hand while petting Enraku with the other. "It's me, Misato."

"And who's that with you?" Orihime asked.

"Mommy, don't be silly." Misato's tinkling laugh echoed in the video. "You know that this is Enraku."

The dog barked happily.

Misato hugged Enraku tightly, who returned the gesture by licking her face. "He's my best friend and we are going to best friends forever." She said.

Best Friends Forever

Word Count: 3,990

You may have noticed that this story doesn't have a resolution. The reason is that death doesn't have a resolution for the people who are left behind. Like I mentioned in the fic, time heals all wounds.

I tried to touch on many feelings that death evokes: sadness, looking for a way to bring them back, life after death. It's hard enough for adults to comprehend it. Now try explaining it to a child.

Anyways, let me know what you think in a review.

Until next time,

A. Angel