Here is chapter 3 and it deals with mainly with Ichigo. You get an insight on his memories of what happened. I hope you guys enjoy this, and remember to leave a review once you're done. Thanks.

Thanks a lot for the reviews: I got 11 on two chapters!! I feel so proud of myself. Thank you guys sooo much!!

If I owned BLEACH, this would be canon. Tite Kubo got here before me so therefore he owns it and not I. All I own is the plot and ocs, down deal.

Eighteen years.

That's how long Kurosaki Ichigo has been a substitute shinigami or god of death. He was 15 years old when it happened, and he hasn't forgotten they day since. Since that day, 18 years ago, Ichigo had been on many wild adventures and met many colorful characters. As a shinigami, his spiritual powers grew as well, making him capable of holding a captain rank in Soul Society, probably above the 5th Division within the Gotei 13. He had been offer the title of captain many time during his life, but each time he was offered, it was another decline. Ichigo enjoyed living in the living world, he didn't mind.

For reasons that many of his friends and family understood they did not question his choice on declining. They simply went along with his decision, and were happy that he decided to stay in the living world with them.

"Hello Mr. Kurosaki," a girl about the age of eight shined at him, "how are you doing today?"

"Hey Keiko," he smiled back, "I'm doing good, but it looks like someone has lost their baby teeth."

"Yep, my big brother tied a piece of string on it and pulled it out!" Keiko explained excitedly.

"And then he tied the other end onto the doorknob and slammed the door, and then the tooth flew out!"

Ichigo chuckled at the girl's explanation, "Yeah, it didn't hurt did it, I tried it on my sister Yuzu when she was six-she was in tears."

Keiko's eyes widened and she grinned largely revealing the space where her baby tooth once was, "Mr. Kurosaki, that's mean, you made your sister cry!"

"Hey," he chuckled some more, "she asked for it, all I did was listen." The girl giggled at his words, forcing an intense smile to appear on Ichigo's face.

"You're all good Keiko," he glanced at her mother, "she's good, her ear infection is cleared." Keiko hopped off the the clinic's bed and ran up to her mother, who was smiling gratefully at Ichigo.

"Thank you Ichigo," Keiko's mother said, "Keiko go wait out in the car, I'll go handle some business with Mr. Kurosaki." Keiko nodded anxiously and after waving bye to Ichigo scurried off into the car that was parked right outside the building.

"She loves coming here," Keiko's mother explained to him, "you have such a way with children, don't you ever plan to start a family Ichigo?"

Family. If the topic was hard to talk about, Ichigo didn't show any expression of it. "Nah, its just a complicated business, trying to find the right one for you."

"Oh," Keiko's mother chirped, "is that all-I wish the best for you." Ichigo handed her the bill, and watched them leave in their car. He was happy that Keiko's mother wasn't able to see through his mask. Family-it wasn't an easy topic to dwell on. It wasn't particularly his family that he had troubles with, it was a family that was even created yet that he had problems with. It had been 18 years since he became a substitute shinigami, and honestly, who wouldn't trade that in for the world. But he didn't know-that being a shinigami came with such grief.

15 years.

It had been 15 years since that day. Fifteen years since she left. Personally, Ichigo didn't like talking about it, he didn't like thinking about, anything related to her was forbidden territory. He would often find himself daydreaming about how things were-before all that he knew took a terrible turn for the worst. He didn't even see it coming, it just happened. One evening she was there, and then she wasn't. He tried searching for her reiatsu, but he couldn't even sense her, making him fear the worst. He even went to Soul Society, Soul Society, to see if she was there-everyone thought she was with him.

Byakuya and Renji were furious. If Rukia wasn't with Ichigo or at Social Society, and her spirit reiatsu wasn't able to be detected, what had happened? Her last words to him, her final words to him before she left was... "Don't worry you baka of a strawberry, I'll be safe."

"Fuck," Ichigo cursed himself, "I can still hear her voice." He knew it was wrong, he knew it was dumb too, but what other choice he had now? Forcing her memory in the back of his head, forcing her presence out of him, it was a lame attempt to straighten things out-when he knew what should have been done. He was sure she knew that as well. Leaving the station in which he worked in, Ichigo traveled onto his kitchen, stood in front of the sink and drunk a glass of water.

When she had first left, his reaction was quite different than he had expected. There were no words to describe how much she had meant to him; there was no definition on how much he wanted her back. While he refused to believe it, each day a bit of him began to die off. Each day he would look at his bedroom closet with a longing, a strange longing that she would just hop out of that closet and yell at him for something that wasn't his fault or was his fault. For the remainder of his senior year at school, how he would absent-Findley (on occasion) stare at an empty seat that had belonged to her.

It wasn't fair. What did she do? What had happened that night? Ichigo mainly blamed himself for what had happened that night. There was a call from Soul Society, and Rukia eagerly accepted the call. It was a minor emergency, a hollow that wasn't even particularly strong. He insisted on going with her; they got into this giant fight which ended when Rukia jumped out the window leaving him with those final words.

"Don't worry you baka of a strawberry, I'll be safe."

He blamed himself, he blamed himself if anything bad had happened to her or worse. Worse. Death. If she were dead, if she had died. He didn't want to think that way, he wanted to be positive-the signs were so clear. No reiatsu detected, it was the main sign of a shinigami's death. The death of a shinigami, the death of Rukia. Ichigo began to squeeze glass into his hand until the cracks began to appear.

"Fuck," he slammed the glass into the wall, "what the hell-why can't she just...fuck!!" His anger and frustration getting the best of him.

"Well, it seems I've come at a bad time," a smooth voice entered the house, "Ichigo if you keep doing that you'll soon be out of drinking glasses."

"Oh hey Uryu," his voice sounding a bit flat, "what's up?"

Both Ichigo and Uryu hadn't changed much at all since high school. The only main difference, in appearance, was that Uryu had gain a bit more muscle and Ichigo had gotten taller. At first glance, you couldn't tell that they were actually 33 years old. Their facial appearances held both old and young values that are not seen much in present times. Ichigo stared at his friend with both relief and annoyance. Relief that he had someone to talk to and annoyance because he had someone to talk to. Where was Sado when you needed him?

"I was driving around the neighborhood and decided to drop by," he took a seat at the kitchen table, "but it seems you were apparently busy."

"Busy, I'm not busy, just sent off my last patient of the day." Ichigo sighed, taking a seat in front of Uryu. In his mind, he already knew that his friend was lying to him, that he was purposely driving around the neighborhood just to get to him. It wasn't uncommon, at least one of his close friends would arrive from their respectable jobs and homes to visit. Usually to cheer up his spirit, which was severely damaged but recovering to an extent, or take him out to dinner and what not. Their methods worked, especially Orihime's methods, that included him trying out her zany recipes. When it was all over and he was back home, it was inner turmoil for him.

Uryu glanced at the shatter glass that laid on the floor, "You really need to stop doing this to yourself Ichigo, its been 15 years now, 15 years."

His infamous scowl or famous scowl shown his face, "Don't you think I know that Uryu-don't think I've tried...tried to get over it?"

"Then try harder Ichigo," Uryu shot back with force, "you know this isn't good for your health."

Okay, having Uryu come over, trying to persuade him to go on with his life wasn't really helping. Ichigo gave him a dark glare, that appeared to have no effect on the quincy. Times like these, Ichigo actually appreciated Orihime's cooking, at least he didn't need to talk about his feelings in front of her. Explain what he was feeling deep inside, why did Uryu have to be so difficult, or why did he have to be so damn weak?

He sighed, "Uryu what if Orihime ran away, you couldn't find her for six years, and when you do see her again-she rejects you, what would you do?"

Uryu stiffened, apparently at a lost of words. What if his wife, his first true love, just abadoned him without explanation. For nearly a decade and when he did finally find her-a cold reception from her. Uryu hadn't gone through the same ordeal that Ichigo had to go through; he didn't see the dull look in her eyes, nearly void of all life, and the heart breaking sentences that were left for him. Uryu didn't know how hard Ichigo tried to bring her back to her senses, to make her understand that he wanted her, needed her. After all that, after all the screaming the yelling-the confessions, she still rejected him, told him to leave her and to never return. Even so, Ichigo could tell, he could visibly see it in her heart...

It was breaking her to say those words, he even noticed that she didn't believe a single word she told him. That is what kept Ichigo distressed for all those years, the fact that she was lying to him. But he obliged to her wishes, leaving her with his own words, knowing that they would meet each other again.

"I'll come back, I promise you, I will return for you." He even recalled her eyes widening when she heard those words, her hands trembling, and breathing ranting. He left her standing like that, troubled, to the point of breaking her. He remembered the rain pounding hard his body, being a symbol of his grief, her grief-grief that they had unknowingly shared together. He often debated with himself, debated on if he should return to Soul Society, return to her, and try to settle things. Every time he actually got the nerve, the courage, to go back something in the back of his mind always told him to stay.

To wait.

It was frustrating, he wanted to leave now-he wanted to understand why? Yet, his mind always told him now, told him to stay and don't go, wait a bit.

"To make things worse," Ichigo added, "when she rejected you, you could feel her soul crushing down on you-how would that feel Uryu." Ichigo was by the garbage can, throwing out the broken pieces of glass. Uryu sat still in the chair, thinking hard over Ichigo's words. Orihime and himself had gotten married young, a few months after high school. College wasn't truly important, both of them finishing school early because of their grades. Orihime was always there, as the same with Rukia, who was always there for Ichigo. It was obvious how much they meant to each other; the main reason why it baffled and injured Ichigo so badly when she disappeared.

Sighing in defeat, "I suppose its true, I wouldn't want to imagine if my wife disappeared on me as well."

"Now," his voice still sounding annoyed, "what the hell did you come over for?"

Does he always have to be so aggressive? "Would it suffice if I came just to say hello to a good friend?"

Ichigo gave Uryu a look that said he didn't believe a word of his crap, "You suck at lying, you know that?"

He scoffed at his words, "You haven't changed much at all Ichigo, I only came to say hello and see what has been good or not good with you." Uryu pushed his glasses up, giving Ichigo a silent glare that only said that he was truly offended by his friend's words.

"Was I suppose to, dammit," Ichigo frowned, "don't you have anything that you need to be doing, running the hospital or something?"

Uryu shook his head, "Orihime is happily taking over the hospital for a day," he noticed the wild look Ichigo was giving him, "what?"

"Nothing, shocking that Inoue is able to handle such stress," he yawned, "her cooking isn't still deadly isn't it."

"Do you always have to make fun about my wife Ichigo," Uryu deadpanned.

A smirk appeared on his features, "Whose cooking, you or her?" When Uryu didn't respond, his face turning a slight shade of red, Ichigo's smirk only grew. It was fun when he was able to counter his friend without another say so of the matter. Their conversation would have continued if only a certain cellphone hadn't started to ring. Sighing, Ichigo dug into his pocket taking out a cellphone, flipping it open.

"It seems you do have things to do," Uryu replied, "don't mind if I join?" Grabbing his substitute shinigami badge, Ichigo's living body flew fell onto the floor, landing with a hard thud. How many times had that happened in his lifetime, he lost count at 50. Uryu sighed, shaking his head at Ichigo's carelessness.

"A few hollows," Ichigo followed him, "not remotely a threat, might as well go."

"You're going to leave your body like this," Uryu glanced back at the body, "with the door unlocked-you really need to be more careful Kurosaki."

Ichigo was already running out the door, "Well lock the damn door and get your slow ass out here, don't blame me if you miss out on all the fun!"

He wouldn't. Ichigo wouldn't actually leave him behind, would he? Uryu watched Ichigo jump high into the sky, hopping flawlessly from one roof to another, leaving him back at the clinic. He felt himself twitch; he rushed back into the house/click found the key rack, and hurriedly secured the locks before leaving the house himself to catch up with his orange haired friend. "Dammit Ichigo, you need to be more responsible!!"

Not too far away:

Tsukiko smiled at her house work. She had arrived to Japan three days ago after a long air flight. Her goodbyes were few, the only one to actually say goodbye was Sister Catherine, and she was on her way. Flying was so bad either, there was the occasional baby cries and turbulence wasn't too much fun, other than that she enjoyed the flight and she was able to control herself. She did one spirit though, the former captain of the plane that she was flying in. She found him amusing, but didn't say anything, avoiding unwanted attention. Now, she was in her own apartment not too far from her new school that she would be attending the following day.

"What a beautiful day," she hummed while dusting off some shelves, "what a wonderful town."

Everything appeared to be going as planned. Being meeting with her sponsor, a Miss Hideki or Hideki-san, Tsukiko learned everything she needed to know for her first day at school. Her clothes, despite she didn't like the skirts all too much, were better than the clothes at school. Her three days were going great, and even though she often saw spirits she didn't mind, she ignored their presence. After dusting she surveyed her work. The apartment was fairly small, she didn't have many things to fill it out the apartment, she wasn't concerned about it though. Happiness flew through her body, all was working out.

That is...well until an unwelcome presence smashed down her.

"What the," dropping the duster onto the floor, "what the hell?" Suddenly, Tsukiko dropped down to her knees-her body feeling unreasonably weak. She clutched her stomach.

This feeling, is it real? Its so strong, so unbelievably strong. Is this some spirit, no-it can't be a spirit, its way too strong to be a mere spirit. I've never felt this way before. Is this even real? No, it can't be, if isn't a spirit then what is it? Hold on, there's another presence. What the freak? No way, this can't be possible!

As fast as it came, it left just as quickly. Leaving Tsukiko in a dazed state, her body trembling beyond nervous. What had just happened to her, what was going on? So many questions swelled up in her mind; she trying to answer them logically, but to no avail. She had never felt anything so intense and surreal before, so powerful that nearly blew her away. It took her awhile to regain her composure, and as if nothing happened, Tsukiko got up and decided to go and clean the kitchen before readying her supplies for school.

"Looks like my freedom comes with a price," she sighed, "dammit."

Not too long I hope. I had trouble on how to end this chapter, I hope you guys enjoyed this. If you see anything wrong with this, please do tell, I won't mind. Thanks again for the reviews, they make me feel so proud of myself.

Hope you read, enjoyed, and review. Have a great day. :P