Title: Memories

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, except my OC's.

A/N: Just an interlude chapter.

It had been a day since Souichiro left Snow Point and its cold, bitter weather. He was happy that there was a change in scenery. Souichiro was walking through a hillside that had lush green grass, a few tall trees, open space and a beautiful view of a mountain range. It seemed like the dark grey clouds followed him all the way from the previous town, but Souichiro didn't mind. He enjoyed walking despite the fact he was still injured, though he wouldn't say no to lift. He wore his usual white shirt and blue jeans and decided he would go with wearing some wore out old sneakers. The Shinigami uniform he had worn was completely tattered, so he had packed away the uniform until he could have it mended or something.

So far the spiritual material had lead him in this current direction. His thoughts about what gave him "Power" and Hyorinmaru's words of so-called wisdom still plagued his mind, so Souichiro had begun reading the Kido journal Captain Hitsugaya had given him in an effort to distract himself and learn something at the same time.

"…Hado 90: Kurohitsugi, very rarely used and only a fraction of its power has been known to be harnessed… Hmm interesting." Souichiro said reading out aloud. He found the spells very interesting, especially the Hado section.

He felt he first drop of rain fall on his head and soon it was accompanied by many more. Souichiro slipped the book into his back pack and continued walking in the rain as his hair and clothes became soaking wet. He found a nearby tree and took refuge under it. As Souichiro sat down he found himself gazing at the raindrops that fell. There was an air of nostalgia the rain brought in to Souichiro and he started to recall memories of past, memories of his friends and the time the spent before the day they separated.

Flashback:

(Age 12)

The season was spring. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping and the flowers were in bloom. It was the harvest time of the year for the village of Makiyama so many farmers were reaping the fruits of their hard labour. Sounds of youth laughter sounded throughout the village as children could be seen having fun and playing games. During this time three young children spent their time inside a dojo. The girl watched as the two boys fought either, not giving each other an inch as they tried land punches and kicks on one another. The fight was decided when one of the boys found an opening and launched a solid punch which connected with the other one's sternum, making him drop to the wooden floor gasping for air.

"Looks like I win again, Souichiro."

"Damn… it…I'll beat you… one day… Raiyuda" Souichiro said between breaths. Raiyuda smirked.

"C'mon, you've been saying that forever. How can I consider you my rival if you can't even beat me once?" Raiyuda said as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. He then stretched out his hand to Souichiro.

"I'll beat you, just you watch." He said as he allowed his friend to help him out.

"Honestly… You two would rather spend time in here, beating the living daylights out of each other than have fun outside on this nice day?" Ami asked with a disappointed tone.

"Of course! Men like us have to fight to stay sharp to protect all the beautiful ladies." Raiyuda said as he flexed his arms.

Their female companion giggled. "Just one question: How can you protect anything with those tooth picks you call arms?"

"Oi! You shouldn't be criticizing on anyone's appearance Ami; you're more flat-chested than a piece of paper!" Raiyuda bitterly countered.

"Ou~ch!" Souichiro said exclaimed as he dropped to the floor laughing his head off. The two boys enjoyed themselves a good laughed with each other at the expense of their female companion, but little did they know the girl loomed over them menacingly with a dark glint in her eyes.

8 Seconds later…

"We're sorry." The boys said through mangled and bruised faces as they bowed before Ami as she blew on her fist proudly.

(Age 13)

"I'll trade these sunglasses I got from a shop called Urahara in Karakura Town for two of your manga volumes."

"Hell no, Renji said these are collectibles and that they will be worth a fortune one day Let's start the bidding. How about 200 bucks?"

Souichiro and Ami were sitting on a fence bargaining with each other, but not much trading was actually done due to the fact they both didn't want to give anything up.

"What? No!"

"Okay, okay… 250."

"But you just raised the price!"

"3000 then."

Ami brought her fists down on Souichiro's head. "Don't make me hit you again!"

"My head…" Souichiro whimpered as he rubbed the area she hit.

It was then Ami noticed their other companion walking down the street, but he didn't seem to notice them.

"Hey there's Raiyuda."

"Hmm? Yeah, but whose that walking with him?" Souichiro asked.

She was a tall woman in a school girl uniform who had black hair, green eyes and wore red glasses. She was reading a manga herself and she seemed very chilled, but unlike her, Raiyuda wore a serious expression on his face.

"Do you think that's his older cousin or something?" Ami asked.

"Who cares, she's hot- Wait, Ami, please not the face!" He pleaded as she cracked her knuckles.

Soon it got dark and Raiyuda returned had just arrived at the gate of his house, looking a little worse for wear. He dragged his feet as he made his way to the front door and was about to reach for the doorknob when Souichiro put a hand on his shoulder from behind.

"Hey Raiyuda, I've been looking all over for you man. Where have you been?"

"You know, around the area and stuff." He said still not facing Souichiro

"Hey, are you alright? No one had seen you for hours and you look very beat up." Souichiro asked with concern.

Raiyuda turned to face his best friend. "I'm… fine." He answered. Raiyuda then smiled sadly and looked up at the evening sky, observing the stars that twinkled.

"Say Souichiro, can I ask you something?"

"Uh yeah, sure man. What's up?" Souichiro said a bit taken back by the sudden change in his tone.

"If a bond between two people was made long ago was suddenly severed and the two drifted apart and walked different paths, and their different paths eventually fated them to meet at a crossroads with one another, would the bond still be there or would the connection be lost forever?"

Souichiro paused for a moment. He didn't have a clue what to say. He decided he would try his best to answer anyway. When he finally opened his mouth to speak, Raiyuda interrupted him.

"You don't have to answer now me now, so take your time and think about it. And Souichiro…" He said as he turned to face his friend.

"No matter what happens in life or what happens between us, we'll always be friends. No, brothers."

'He walked inside his house after he said that to me and after that we started drifting apart and to this day he never called me that again.'

(Age 16)

'I remember it rained one day, June 17th to be precise. It was the day it rained harder than it had ever rained before, as if the sky was letting go of something that it had been bottling up for a very long time. It was also the day where things changed and from that point on, were never the same.'

"Souichiro, please stop him!" Ami begged as her tears mixed with the rain.

"Raiyuda, why are you doing this?! This isn't you. You've always wanted to become a Shinigami! And you can't just leave!" Souichiro said trying to convince his friend. Souichiro and Ami had been trying to talk Raiyuda out of abandoning his life-long dream, but he had refused to listen and told them he decided to leave the village for his own purposes.

'Raiyuda had changed in more ways than one. He wasn't the same guy I had been friends with. He stopped talking, was always hiding something and became distant. Maybe deep down I knew he had changed way before, but I guess I was too blind to see it. He had dyed his blonde hair black and got a tattoo on his left shoulder. It was the head of a snake with its long fangs dripping with its venom and its cold, untrusting eyes.'

"I have a new dream now. The life of a Shinigami no longer interests me."

"What about your parents?! What do they say about this?!" Ami screamed.

"My parents?" He paused. "They don't matter now."

"What…?" the only word Ami managed to get out as both she and Souichiro stared at Raiyuda wide-eyed in shock. Souichiro's shock then turned into anger while Ami was just at a loss for words

"Don't screw with us!"

"From this day on, any ties you have with me are no more. If I stay here any longer I will not be able to progress." He said turning away from them. "I will achieve my ultimate goal."

"STOP TALKING SHIT! " Souichiro roared. "I don't believe this crap you're spewing; you're sounding more and more like-

"Aizen?" Souichiro clenched his teeth at the mention of the name and stared at the back his friend's head with hard eyes. "If that's what it takes to achieve my goal, then so be it."

"Then I'll… I'll-

"Don't be naïve. You were never a match for me before and it was pathetic to even consider that we were ever rivals. You can't stop me and know this Souichiro: If you ever get in my way, I'll kill you and then you can join your father." That last sentence hit the final nail in Souichiro's emotional coffin.

'And then he vanished. Ami cried out to me repeatedly that I should do something, but I didn't. I just stood there and stared at the spot where Raiyuda had been standing. Ami then pounded her fists on my chest, pleading with watery eyes. I could only stare at her and with the shame and helplessness I felt and the pain I felt within me as I gave her my honest answer.'

"I can't."

'Ami fist's continued to pound on me until I caught her fists and then I pulled her into a tight hug. I let her bury her face into my chest as she cried. We don't know how long we stood in the rain, but we didn't care. In the end the Shinigami didn't find Raiyuda and they found his parents in his house, dead. That day Ami and I lost someone that meant the world. He had suddenly become a stranger to us and we didn't know how the hell it happened. That loss left a painful wound in Ami's heart, but it would just be another scar that wouldn't heal in mine. I promised myself that if I ever saw him again I would beat the hell out of him until he gave me the answers we deserved.'

'The following year when we turned 17, Ami left to join the Shinigami and I never saw her since and from that point on I trained like crazy to go on my own mission. I no longer had a dream, but I had an ambition fuelled by hatred. I know one day we will meet again and when that day comes...'

A droplet fell on Souichiro's face from a leaf above him and he was immediately snapped out of his reminiscence. The rain had stopped, but the clouds still hung around.

"Damn, how long have I been sitting here?" Souichiro said as he stretched his arms and legs. He got up and slung the bag over his shoulder and began walking again. This was no time to sit around; he had a goal to accomplish. He hated recalling his past, but he couldn't help it, it was a part of who he was or once was. He thought that maybe these past experiences taught him how to be cold and ruthless and to expect betrayal around every corner, though he still had that sliver of faith in people. He felt it was one of the small ways he could honour his father. He still never understood why Raiyuda did what he did, it made no sense. He shrugged his shoulders. He knew he would get an answer by just thinking about it, but the question would remain in the back of his mind.

'Look forward. Move forward and never stop. Retreat and you'll age. Hesitate and you'll die.' a quote from Zangetsu himself that his father told him constantly.

Souichiro stopped walking for a moment and closed his eyes. He breathed deeply and after that he felt much better and on cue the clouds moved away allowing the sun to clearly shine on the hillside. Souichiro continued walking on with a smile plastered on his face, but it didn't last too long. His smile faded when he saw a guard post stationed along the path with a few Shinigami on standby.

"There he is!" One of them shouted.

"I guess word finally got around." Souichiro shook his head as he dropped his backpack to the ground.

"So, who's first?"

A/N: I thought Souichiro deserved a little break, I hoped you liked it.