AN: I entered a writing blockade with my Sailor Moon fanfic. T_T And I watched and read too much of Bleach. :P So this came up. IchiRuki fans, enjoy. :3

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. If I did, Ichigo wouldn't lose his powers and Rukia and he would be a couple. n_n

Chapter One.

Lost.

He saw something; a small figure moving within the shadows

"Rukia!"

Surely it's Rukia. He thought. No one is petite as her. He began to walk closer to the figure, but the figure started to fade away.

"Rukia!"

His voice echoed through the void of his dream. Kurosaki Ichigo woke up, breathing heavily. A silent sigh escaped his mouth. It was a dream. Just a stupid dream. He studied the empty darkness of his room. The squeaking in the corner of his room irritated his mind. He growled, turned his lamp light and looked at the squeaking source.

Kon moved few foots away, terrified by Ichigo's gaze. "Ichigo, what's wrong?" Kon's trembling voice asked. Ichigo's features loosened.

"I'm never going to see-" He gulped. I can't say "Rukia". Kon's going to suffocate me.

"Nee-saan!" Kon started to cry, grasping the paper in his paw. It framed Ichigo's thoughts.

"What is that?" Ichigo asked, standing up from the bed. Kon moved back further than he did when Ichigo gave him the horrific gaze.

"Um, nothing!" He started to run hysterically.

"Kon, stop running away!"
"I don't want to!" He cried. "It's mine!" Ichigo growled.

"Give me that!"
"No! Nee-san left it to me…!" Kon protested. Ichigo succeeded to grab him. He picked him up to his face.

"Rukia left the letter?" Ichigo's voice gave chills to Kon.

"Um, um…"
"Give me the letter, Kon or I'll give you to Yuzu." Ichigo bit his lip in satisfaction, seeing Kon trembling. "She will be happy with dressing you up, again."

"No! Oh please, don't!" Kon pleaded.

"If you give me the letter, I won't." Ichigo grinned. Kon snarled, giving the letter to him. "Arigatou, Kon." He put him on the ground and sat back on the bed. His heart started to beat loudly as he opened the letter.

Dear Kon,

This time it's without riddles (as you probably read it normally).

Take care of Ichigo for me, please. I hope he will adjust back to normal life. Help him to do so. I know it will be hard for him, as it will be for me. I will miss you both dearly.

Rukia.

"Read it? Give it back!" Kon was pulling Ichigo's pyjama.

"I have." He answered, giving the letter back to the stuffed lion.

In the morning, Ichigo was woken up by his dad again. Of course, Ichigo stopped his attack effortlessly and went down to the dining room to eat his breakfast before the school. He was silent all the time, except when he greeted his sisters.

In the school, it was another ordinary day.

Not a soul remembers her. He scowled. True, the Shinigamis erased their memories. He wondered why then they didn't erase his. Then Kon wouldn't have anywhere to go. One voice in his mind said. Like he wouldn't mind Rukia take him with her. He smiled to that thought. Inoue Orihime saw that smile. Rarely Ichigo was smiling in the last few weeks. She saw him only smiling to his sisters.

Why they wanted me to remember? It hurts.

"Kurosaki-kun, daijoubu?" Orihime's worried face was looking at him.

"Why do you think that?" He asked.

"You seem sad… For the last two weeks, you rarely smiled. And you're always distant. You barely speak to any of us."

Even when Orihime didn't remember anything; she sensed that something was wrong.

"I'm fine, Inoue. Don't worry." He gave her a half-fake smile.

After school was over, Ichigo went home alone once again. He couldn't walk with any of his friends – they all where kind of involved with Rukia and Soul Society.

"Ichigo!" He heard Tatsuki's voice. He didn't turn. "Mate, Ichigo!" Nothing. "Ichi-"

This is completely meaningless. Living the way I did almost two years ago… I'm not myself anymore; the way I was before I met her.

Ichigo stopped walking. You idiot. You're turning into some emotional, distant guy! An emo! His eyes widened. "I am not!" He practically yelled, thumping the asphalt with his foot. The asphalt started to crack. Did I just crack the asphalt? He panicked.

"Did you hear that?" Ichigo heard someone.
"What?"
"The shriek-"

People started to scream as the ground was cracking quicker. Shriek… Could it be? Ichigo analysed the cracks – movements. It was a Hollow, no doubt. He succeeded to move through the people that were running away. He was following the Hollow's tracks.

Maybe she will be here… Even if I am not able to see her…

He stopped as the tracks stopped too.

Another Hollow in this area…

Why here? It's a small, normal town… With normal and harmless people…

Kuchiki Rukia thought while observing the tracks Hollow left. They guided her to the park she once used to spend time in with Ichigo and his family. She sighed, feeling bad because of those memories.

He stood in the middle of the park. It was quiet, too quiet.

Few moments before Ichigo came to the park, Rukia was struggling for her life. This Hollow was strong and she was weak against it or she was distracted by knowing that Ichigo is close; breathing the same air she is hardly inhaling… Living the normal human life he should have before. I should have never… Her thoughts stopped. The Hollow was laughing.

"What's the problem, little Shinigami? Too distracted by someone to fight back?" Her eyes widened in shock.

"W-what?" Could-

The Hollow smirked. "That's right…I can see your thoughts and feelings… Someone very dear to you is close… Just show me his face and we can end it now."

"No!" She cried, trembling. She didn't know what to do. Ichigo's face constantly tried to show up in her mind.

"You can't fight it. You're going to betray him and end his miserable life, only because your heart desperately wants to see his face."

"No. I won't."

A sudden grasp pressed Rukia's body. "Do not toy with me, filthy Shinigami! I will kill him slowly just to see you dying inside, bit by bit…"

Gasping for air, she painfully said: "That's y-your fetish? Eating Shinigamis after you-"

"And I love it!" It laughed disgustingly and pressed her more with his large hand. "Show me the pretty boy's face!"

"You're quite interesting one… You're connected with that boy… With red-"

"Rukia!"

Ichigo stood in the middle of the park. He desperately wanted to sense the Hollow. He knew it was here by the tracks. So Rukia should be too.

"So that's the pretty boy?" The Hollow smirked with pleasure. "Seems I didn't need your help…" It threw Rukia aside. The sound of Rukia's body made falling to the ground made Ichigo move.

"The softness of the fall… It can't-… Rukia!" He cried, running to the place he assumed she fell to. Before he could get closer to her, something grabbed him.

"Too bad you can't see me, miserable soul. But she can." The Hollow smirked. "She will scream so loudly while I squeeze the life out of you and every soul on Earth, heaven and hell will hear her cry, except you." Hollow pressed Ichigo harder and he screamed in pain. The Hollow laughed deviously. But his laughter was suddenly stopped.

"Die… Filthy Hollow." Rukia said coldly as she stabbed the Hollow's head from the back.

"No!" It screamed, slowly fading away. Ichigo fell onto ground. Rukia threw her zanpakutō and ran to him.

"Ichigo, you idiot… Why did you come here…?" She cried, caressing his cheek.