Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach

Author's Note: I was inspired greatly by Swinging Pendulum by cywscross and The Moon's Tears by Arowen12 so if you like this story I highly recommend those fanfics as well. I appreciate any constructive criticism. Hope you enjoy!

The Path of a Time Traveler

Ichigo Kurosaki was her name. Through the meticulous plotting of two mad men, she was born a hybrid of shinigami, quincy, and hollow. An unprecedented and magnificent occurrence. Not only did she possess great power, but steadfast determination and compassion. Like moths to a flame, people drew to her fiery spirit. From age 15, she was thrust into the world of shinigami in which she would face a multitude of challenges. Battle after battle, Ichigo Kurosaki learned how to smile in the face of adversity.

But she was not smiling now.

OOO

Ichigo was assessing the horror before her: The Soul Society reduced to rubble; Hueco Mundo in a similar state. She first came here fourteen years ago when she was rescuing Rukia. Charging head-first into battle, Ichigo succeeded in saving Rukia as well as unmasking a deadly plot. She had brought her friends with her, and she had made so many along the way.

"Ichigo." A voice broke her from her reverie. She looked over her shoulder to see Kisuke Urahara watching her with an ever-calculative gaze. "What are you thinking about?"

Ichigo turned back to face the wreckage. "Simpler times, Kisuke." The retreating sun set her long orange hair ablaze, creating a stark contrast to the lackluster weariness in her eyes. Her physical appearance hadn't changed much from when the war started when she was eighteen. She was twenty-nine now, but she had been in her early twenties when her physical body had deceased. She was still graced with womanly curves, as well as strong muscles born of years of uninterrupted combat(despite the fact she had lost some weight). The only considerable changes were her eyes(which now held a tiredness not present in Ichigo's youth), and the innumerable scars that littered her body from battle or torture. Ichigo's hand unconsciously rose to the short scar cut vertically through her left eye, where an enemy had attempted at blinding her to no avail.

He ambled his way to stand beside her, Benihime in one hand, his tattered hat in the other. They stood on the edge of Sokyoku Hill where a great event had once transpired.

"Before shinigami?" he queried, guilt easily noticeable.

Ichigo let out an exasperated sigh as her hand fell to her side. She was sensing a bit of déjà vu. "How many times do I have to tell you Kisuke? None of this was your fault."

Despite her words, she watched his knuckles turn white as they clutched his zanpakuto in an icy, vice grip. The shopkeeper bowed his head before he said, "I forced you into this world. And I did it for my own personal gain."

It was strange. Years ago, Ichigo never would've guessed she'd be hearing such forthright statements from such a tactful man. Over the last eleven years, it had become clear to Ichigo that war changed a person. Much like Ichigo, Urahara had retired his friendly shopkeeper facade a few years into the war. In his place stood a different man; a man who had killed many and had seen many killed. His ash blonde hair was unkempt and his eyes bore heavy bags as a result of too many sleepless nights. Perhaps this different man had always been there, only rising to the surface in the face of great tragedy.

"You know what I think?" Ichigo started, "I think that my fate was sealed the day I was born. I think I was inevitably tethered to your world and no amount of scheming was going to change that."

"I've said this before," Ichigo continued, "but I've always wanted the strength to protect the people I cared about. When Rukia was taken, you were the one to give me that strength. Again, when I lost my powers, it was you who pulled me out of despair and returned them to me. Even so" -Ichigo's gaze grew somber-"I was unable to protect the people I cared for, but you cannot take responsibility for that."

He flashed her a sad, knowing smile. "And neither can you."

"I wish that were true," Ichigo lamented.

"Ichigo you-" MOO!

MOO!

Ichigo's eyes shot open. A dream? No, a memory. Ichigo sat up rapidly before clutching her sides. Her entire body ached with a pain that was almost unbearable. She took in her surroundings: she sat at the bottom of a small crater in what appeared to be a barn with several...large pigs?(moo?)

"Where am I?" Ichigo whispered to herself. Sunlight was streaming down on her through a large hole in the roof. With much difficulty Ichigo looked up. Her breath caught in her throat.

`The hole in the ceiling revealed a bright blue sky, untainted by smog, or dust. A lone tear slipped down her cheek without consent. How long had it been since she saw a sky like this one?

She was dragged out of her musing by an approaching spiritual presence. She struggled to rise to her feet only to fall to her knees, rasping for breath as her head pounded and her sight grew dim. The last thing she remembered was panicked voices and hands before she succumbed to unconsciousness.

OOO

"-alright?"

"Captain Unohan-"

"-ell from sky?"

"-looks like you, sis."

"Shhh! She's waking up!"

Ichigo stirred. Sensing multiple spiritual pressures, she groggily opened her eyes. She was not prepared for what she saw. Three sets of eyes watched her with caution and concern, but that wasn't what caught her by surprise. No, it was two of the faces that she would recognize anywhere: Kukaku and Ganju. Her own family. They looked different...younger. She was struck with a thousand questions, but the mere fact that they were alive, in front of her was enough to shock her into silence. What was this? Some kind of sick joke? Aizen was long dead so it couldn't be an illusion.

She began to shake uncontrollably. Hands grabbed her own and her caramel brown eyes shot up to meet aqua green ones. "Hey, you're okay, you're safe," the third, mystery man consoled. He was tall and lean with spiky black hair and a kind demeanor. There was something vaguely familiar about him, and yet Ichigo was positive she hadn't met him before.

"Kukaku, Ganju, why don't you wait outside?" he suggested. Kukaku and Ganju exchanged wary looks before taking their leave. What was his relationship to them?

He gave her a gentle smile. "You're probably wondering who we are. My name's Kaien Shiba and those were my two siblings Kukaku and Ganju. When I found you, you were half-dead in our barn. You've been unconscious for nearly a week. We got Captain Unohana to tend to your wounds and-"

But at that point, Ichigo wasn't listening. Her mind was positively spinning. A Shiba. Kaien Shiba. She'd recognize that name anywhere. This man was Rukia's mentor and her cousin. Her dead cousin. What the hell was going on here? She was in the Soul Society that much she was sure, but it felt different. It felt off. Kaien mentioned Captain Unohana who was also dead last Ichigo checked. What was the last thing that she could remember? She went to see Urahara and Yoruichi in the world of the living and then what? After that it was all fuzzy. Why couldn't she remember?

"Remember what?"

Ichigo met Kaien's eyes again in surprise, not realizing she had voiced that last thought out loud.

"I don't...know." Ichigo answered honestly. Her head was pounding from the strain of remembering what led her to be collapsed in her dead cousin's barn. The orangette's instincts were certain that it would give her a clue regarding her current situation. And her instincts were seldom wrong.

OOO

Kaien watched the girl as she stared blankly into space. He knew from the moment he laid eyes on her that she was no ordinary girl. To say he was surprised at her entrance would be an understatement. There was a bright light followed by a loud crash in the direction of the barn where they kept Bonnie and the other boars. When he arrived at the scene he was aghast to see a young girl(with the most vibrant orange hair)in the barn; out cold in a small crater where she must have impacted. Kaien quickly summoned the healers of the estate and later Captain Unohana to tend to the girl's injuries. After giving the captain an obscure explanation of how he found her, Captain Unohana informed him that her injuries were dire and that she couldn't say for certain if she would ever wake up. However, it would seem that their enigmatic guest wasn't going to die easy. Kaien let out a heavy sigh. His duties as the lieutenant of the thirteenth squad required him to be away from the Shiba compound for extended amounts of time. Because of this, when Captain Ukitake told him to take a few days to visit his family he didn't argue. Who would've guessed this is what he'd come home to?

Kaien cautiously put his hand on her shoulder, detecting the flinch beneath his touch. "Hey, could you tell us your name?"

Seas of amber revealed pain, loss, confusion, shock, fear, hope, despair. He felt like he was drowning in the sheer emotion of those eyes. This girl, whoever she is, has suffered greatly.

"Ichigo," she answered meekly.

Kaien blinked a couple times before responding, "Ichigo?"

She nodded solemnly. It wasn't uncommon in the Rukongai for someone to only remember their name. Judging from the disorientation and skittishness, it wouldn't be so farfetched so say she had just died. But then there was the pain in her eyes as if she was remembering something appalling. Some lingering trauma in her past, perhaps? That still didn't explain the whole falling-from-the-sky-thing. Regardless, if she had just died she would be in her late teens or at most early twenties; practically an infant in comparison to himself. Kaien felt a wave of protective instincts rush over him like the tides of Nejibana. Perhaps it was his brotherly instincts, but he felt within his soul that this girl was someone he had to protect.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Ichigo."