Hi :) My name is Grace and I like to do this thing where I only post once a year.

This was originally going to be part of a larger story that I meant to write 3-4 years ago, with about 8 chapters. I was so excited about it, it was supposed to be so good, and then I only wrote the first 1.5 chapters. I still love the idea though, so I polished this first chapter up a bit and included it in this collection.

I hope you guys enjoy! I know there's not a lot to go on, but I would love to hear your guesses on what you think is happening/going to happen based on what you're given here.


This is not a happy story. I should know, I was there.

Some people call it a love story - and I was in love - but they're not talking about me.

They're talking about something terrible, something awful. I lost my love to this horrible thing.

Some people think it was funny, that it was ironic, like a well-planned comedy. But they don't know the whole story.


Scene 1: Hamartia

"Ichigo! Time for school!" Isshin Kurosaki knocked on the door of his adopted son's room. "Have you forgotten how to set your alarm clock now, too?"

"I'm coming!" The orange-haired teen yelled back. Not quite by accident, he swung the door open forcefully, colliding with his foster father's face.

"Ah," Isshin tenderly rubbed his nose. "Cheery as ever, I see."

"I didn't forget about my alarm," Ichigo scowled. "The memory jokes are really starting to get old."

"At least you remember them!" The older man grinned. "Now, go help your sister with breakfast. She'll never make it to school on time if she has to cook for all four of us."

"Why can't you help her?" Ichigo grumbled as he obligingly went downstairs.

"Because I have to go pry your other sister from her bed," Isshin answered. "Unless you're volunteering for that instead?"

The teen made a face and quickly disappeared into the kitchen, eager to avoid confronting the grumpy tomboy.

"Good morning, Ichigo!" The youngest Kurosaki greeted him as he rounded the corner.

"Hey, Yuzu." He responded tiredly, unable to match the girl's enthusiasm. "Need any help?"

"I didn't know you could cook." The blonde looked at him in surprise.

"Dad just asked me to help out." Ichigo shrugged. "Maybe I can make toast or something?"

Yuzu smiled and handed him a loaf of bread. "Sure! That'd be great."

Ichigo grabbed the bread and stood by the toaster, trying to stay out of his younger sister's way. He popped two slices into the machine and kept his eyes on the timer, rather than meeting Yuzu's curious glances.

She would still ask though, he knew. He could practically feel it. The same question... always with the same answer.

"So..." she started, and Ichigo sighed internally. Here we go again... He knew she meant well, but in reality, if anything had changed since the last time she had asked, he felt it would be fairly obvious.

"Anything yet?" Yuzu looked over at him, careful to keep her expression neutral.

"Not yet, Yuzu," he answered through tight teeth.

"Oh," she went back to pulling plates from the cabinet. "I just thought... Well, it's been a full semester since you came to live with us. I thought maybe by now-"

"I haven't remembered anything else!" Ichigo snapped. The toast finished in the same moment and he snatched it up, searing his fingertips on the scorched surface in his frustration.

He quickly dropped the toast on one of the plates Yuzu had set out. Her innocent brown eyes were wide with concern, and Ichigo immediately felt guilty for overreacting.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, turning back to the toaster to hide his expression. "It's just... frustrating."

Skinny arms wrapped around his waist and Ichigo felt Yuzu's cheek pressed against his back. "I'm sorry I upset you. I won't ask anymore," she promised. "If it's meant to happen, it'll happen. Try not to let it bother you."

Ichigo patted her clasped hands over his stomach awkwardly. "Yeah. Thanks."

After one last squeeze, Yuzu let him go. "Now, let's eat!" She lifted two plates of food and took them out to the table, back to her usual, smiling self.

Ichigo loaded more toast on the plate in front of him, but without the same sense of urgency. Was it really half a year already? The realization disappointed him. Of course, he was incredibly fortunate to have such a loving foster family, even if they were a bit dysfunctional.

Dr. Isshin Kurosaki was very generous with his time and energy, though a bit eccentric. And the two girls that he had adopted before Ichigo were nice enough, but complete opposites. It seemed to work out oddly well, somehow.

But still, Ichigo mused to himself, it would be so much easier if his memories would come back. Even just a hint would be nice...

"That's probably enough toast," Yuzu suggested gently, pulling Ichigo from his thoughts.

"Oh, yeah." He added the last pieces to his pile and carried the plate out the table.

"This looks wonderful!" Isshin exclaimed.

Karin, still half-asleep, barely opened one eye to fill her plate with food. She grunted appreciatively before digging into her breakfast.

Across the table, Yuzu chirped pleasantly about her plans for the day, and Ichigo briefly wondered if he would ever be able to see this eclectic assortment of people as a real family.

.

That same morning, a petite, raven-haired girl adjusted her new school uniform in the mirror.

"How do I look?" She asked, twirling so that the skirt flared out around her legs. There was no response, but the girl didn't seem to mind. Her reflection smiled brightly back at her.

Rukia Kuchiki exited her bedroom, checked the lock on the basement door, and quickly collected her things so she could be on her way. The walk to her new school would be unfamiliar, and she didn't want to be late.

The house was still silent when Rukia stepped outside her front door, ready for the day. The weather was crisp with the height of autumn, and the air was cool and fresh compared to the smelly, decaying insides of the house.

It's so quiet around here... She looked up and down the empty street. Good thing I don't have to stay here by myself!

"I'll be back soon!" She said cheerfully, closing the door tightly behind her and tucking an old, ornate skeleton key under the collar of her button-up shirt.

.

"Good morning, Ichigo!" Orihime Inoue waved from across the street.

Ichigo half-heartedly raised a hand in return as the girl caught up to him. "You know, you really don't have to walk with me to school every morning. I know the way by now."

"I know you do," the redhead giggled. "You just live so close to me, it's no trouble. Besides, as a member of the Student Council, it's my job to make new students feel welcome."

"And I just happen to be the newest student, is that right?" Ichigo added drily.

"Oh, don't be so grumpy all the time!" Orihime teased. "You're my friend, Ichigo. I like walking with you."

Cheeks tinged pink, Ichigo maintained his scowl and looked away. The pair continued their walk in silence.

Orihime had been the first person to reach out to him when he transferred to Seireitei High. She loved making up possible histories for him, ones where he was an international thief that lost his memory when the airplane he was hijacking crashed, or that he was an undercover agent sent to protect Tokyo from some unknown threat.

In reality, of course, he was just a nobody. No one from nowhere with no past. Orihime reaching out to him was the best memory he had, the first time he could remember making a friend.

They finally reached the front gate to school, and Ichigo snuck a look at his friend out of the corner of his eye. A lot of people had been teasing them about going out recently, and it was a poorly kept secret that the redhead had been harboring a crush on him for the past few months.

Is today the day? Ichigo wondered to himself. He had always found Orihime attractive, but never admired her romantically. He had decided that he would give her a chance, if she ever declared her feelings for him. He owed her that much. But, she had never admitted to anything. Maybe... Maybe I should just go for it? Surely, I won't ever find someone as accepting of my... condition.

Orihime beamed and thanked him when he held the main door open for her. To his surprise, Ichigo found himself smiling back.

"Are you ok, Ichigo?" The girl looked at him curiously. "You're acting as spacey as me, and, honestly, it's a bit strange."

"Yeah," Ichigo forced a scowl back on his face. "I'm fine."

"If you say so," Orihime giggled at his expression. "I'll see you in class?"

"Yeah, sure," Ichigo grumbled. Then, he made up his mind. "Actually, wait a second. There's something I wanted to ask you."

"Oh? What is it?" The redhead paused and looked at him patiently.

They stopped in front of the main office just as the bell for their first class rang in the halls.

"Never mind," Ichigo said, easily defeated by the bell. "I'll talk to you-Oof!"

The boy stumbled backwards as another student ran into him. Being rather tall and sturdy, Ichigo quickly regained his balance. The other student, a small girl, at least a full foot shorter, was not as lucky.

"Oh!" Orihime gasped at the scene. "Are you two all right?"

"Here, let me help." Ichigo knelt on the ground so he could pick up her book bag and offer a hand.

The girl sat up and brushed the dark hair from her face. "I'm very sorry. Please excuse me. This is my first day and-" She looked up at Ichigo and froze.

Confused, Ichigo met her gaze and found the faintest stirring in his memory.

Tears began welling in the girl's large violet eyes, and she reached for him hesitantly.

"Kaien...?"


I was a spectator to these events that transpired, an audience member in the front row, so close I felt like I was involved in the drama in front of me. And because such is the nature of theatre, I learned everything.

This story is a tragedy.


Hamartia - noun - (literature) Tragic error, mistake that leads to catastrophe; the flaw leads to the downfall of the protagonist in a tragedy

"In tragedy, hamartia is commonly understood to refer to the protagonist's error or flaw that leads to a chain of plot actions culminating in a reversal from their good fortune to bad. What qualifies as the error or flaw can include an error resulting from ignorance, an error of judgement, a flaw in character, or sin." -Wikipedia