Chapter 1: The treasured meeting

~Ichigo~

One month before Rukia came into my house I was living fine. That's if you call just eating, studying, and sleeping fine. Every day was the same.

School was really boring but spending time with Chad (Yasutora Sado) was fun. Obviously studying is a pain but its not like I had anything else to do.

Of course there was always that classical fun where I took Tatsuki's lunch or when I framed Chad for writing a love note to Orihime. This was all before Rukia and that Hollow entered my life.

I walked home from school that dreary night because I had to stay afterschool and take up a project with Tatsuki (she made me). After her screaming at me and saying "No, no, and still no! This is trash! To get a good mark we need to- "And so on, you get the idea.

A girl in a black robe swished past me. She seemed in a hurry and she disappeared as mysteriously as she appeared. A roar echoed through the air and screams erupted around me.

My heart sunk and I raced back home panting. The streetlights flashed on and off and then they dimmed and turned off.

I heard nothing but the fierce beating of my heart. I steadied my heart pace and walked up to my front door. The door was locked. Screams echoed around me.

Suddenly the glass from my window shattered and out jumped that girl I had seen. "It's you!" I shouted. The girl raised a finger to my lips and hushed me.

I rolled my eyes. "Why were you even in my house?!" She ignored me and dived back in. I was about to yell for her when I heard that distinct roar again.

So clearly it sounded… in my house. "Yuzu! Karin! Dad!" I screamed as I climbed into the window. A creature oh so ugly was in my house and that strange girl was frantically jumping around to avoid its black fists

For a minute I was too scared to even breath. I started running to Yuzu when the girl screamed "What the hell are you doing!? Go help your sister!"

I nodded and knelt down next Yuzu. She was sleeping soundly will a huge cut on her forehead. I gritted my teeth and stood up.

"Alright you, your dead." I yelled as I leapt onto the creature with the black body and the skull-like mask. The girl gasped and pulled out what seemed like a sword.

She slashed at the wrist of the creature. The creature screeched and slammed the girl into the other window.

The window shattered and she flew out into the street. I tackled the creature and tried to punch that ugly skull mask.

The creature didn't even bother to look at me, it just slammed me through the same window he threw the girl.

The girl was about to get up when I fell on top of her. She yelped and kneed my back. I glared at her and for the first time our eyes met.

She was pretty with big violet eyes and she was really short. "W-What are you glaring at midget?" I managed to stutter.

She just rolled her big violet eyes and ran back into the house. I chased after her. "W-Wait! What is that thing?" I shouted.

"Wait you can see that?" She glanced at me curiously. "No shit Sherlock." I snapped. She kicked my shin and dropped a few words. "Watch it orange head."

I growled and smacked her head as she was charging the creature. "What the hell! I'm trying to save your ass!" She snapped.

I grunted. "I don't need a little girl to save me thank you very much." She ignored me and cut the creature's head off.

"Fine, I'll be leaving now." I froze. "No don't! What was that and who are you?" I asked her curiously.

"I'll give you a hint, none of your damn business." She replied. I gritted my teeth and pretended I wasn't mad at all. "But I need you to protect me!" I pretended to beg

She rolled her eyes. "Talk to me again when you stop using fake courtesy." I pretended to whimper but she glared at me.

"I said stop that." I used my most polite voice. "Please Miss I-don't-know-who-you-are" She stomped on my foot getting a yelp out of me.

She looked satisfied with her foot on mine. "Say please with a cherry on the top?" She batted her eyelashes. I groaned and she giggled.

Her foot dug into my foot and it hurt, a lot. "P-Please with a cherry on the top?" I managed to blurt out.

She shook her head. "Nope so fake." She turned to walk away but I jumped in her way and blocked her.

She looked at me as if saying "Get out of my way if you don't want to die." I ignored that stare and I used my killer move. I got to my knees and started groveling.

She looked surprised. The sides of her mouth twitch so slightly. She stuck her hand out and helped me to my feet.

"Since that was so sincere, I'll tell you what that creature was and who I am." She flashed me a smile with her pretty spotless white teeth.

"My name is Rukia Kuchiki." "What a strange name." I muttered quietly. "What was that?" She took a threatening step towards me.

I backed off and quickly changed the subject. "So what was the ugly black creature with the skull mask?" I questioned her.

She explained who she was and what she does quickly. "So you're a… Soul Reaper?" She nodded and pulled out her "zanpakuto". She also explained that the creature was called a hollow.

I pretended I understood what she was saying by quickly nodding my head. She laughed and turned to leave.

"Wait where are you going?" I panickily asked her. "Hm? Back to the Soul Society of course." And without another word she leaped onto a streetlight

She was fading away but as she was about to vanish, I leapt onto that streetlight. "What are you doing?" I didn't say anything for the first time. I just stood there

She got impatient. "Well? What do you want? I'm leaving." I looked at her softly wondering what to say.

"I-I'm coming with you." I said quietly. "What? But you have to stay here and go to school, take care of your family and live here normally."

"But I'm just so curious about this Soul Society!" "What about your studies, family, friends and future life?" She retorted.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter. I'm coming no matter what." I replied coolly (or so I thought) She glared at me. "Listen Strawberry! Don't just whatever your life jackass!" She snarled.

I shrugged and grabbed onto her shoulder. She blushed so very slightly. Then she slapped my hand away. "If you leave your family will miss you Strawberry." She said softly.

"This is for your own good. Please go home." I froze. "Okay but remember my name! It's Ichigo Kurosaki!" She smiled. "Got it."

I smiled sadly. "I'll be ready for you when you come back and fight another hollow." She gave me the thumbs up and vanished.

I sadly watched her disappear as mysteriously as she had appeared. I reassured that this was just some crazy dream.

The next day seemed to go by normal. Tatsuki and me worked on our Biology project and I had fun with Chad and Orihime.

But deep inside I still remember that girl that stuck so deep into my heart, with a name such as "Rukia". I finished my homework and Yuzu brought my dinner up into my room.

"Here Ichigo! Its still warm." I nodded and uttered my thanks. "What's wrong Ichigo, you seem down." I smiled my usual warm smile.

"Its nothing Yuzu, I brought home some fast food. It's in the kitchen, warm it up and eat it." Yuzu squealed and I could hear the thumping sounds coming from downstairs.

I managed to let out a weak smile. I took my computer and turned on my social media. Orihime, Chad, Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro chatting about some person in class one.

"I heard he likes Tatsuki!" Orihime squealed. "What?!" Tatsuki wrote. I sighed and closed his computer. "Idiots…" I muttered.

I just thought of what happened last night. It happened so fast I even thought I was at some moment dreaming. That girl…

'Stop being perverted Ichigo.' I told myself 'It's not like you can ever see her again' I pondered all of this sadly in my head.

With nothing to do for the rest of the night I just laid on my bed and pulled the covers over me. The next morning I was awoken by my alarm clock.

I emotionlessly stopped the alarm and got dressed. I put on my jeans and my gray sweater for school. When I got to school, I found a new student wandering around in the classroom.

Everyone was doing their own thing, and nobody seemed to notice this new student, nobody except for me of course. I walked up to him and greeted him.

"Hello my name is Ichigo Kurosaki." I smiled as I stuck out my hand. He turned and smiled as if saying "Finally! Someone who actually sees that I exist!"

He stuck out his hand. "My name is Uryū Ishida." I raised an eyebrow. 'What an interesting name' I thought. He smiled at me and his square glasses gleamed at me.

"I hope we can become the best of friends as of today!" He said sincerely. "No problem pal, welcome to Karakura high school."

He grinned and the teacher walked in. "Hello class, this is our new student Uryū Ishida!" Our class clapped politely, and I winked at him. He winked back and stood up.

The class all glanced at him. He looked embarrassed and he quickly ran back to his seat (next to Orihime). After a long and boring class about exponents it was break.

I grabbed my lunch and went outside to the park. Uryū followed me and we sat down and started eating. We chatted about school and about girls.

If it wasn't for that strange girl, I would've been happier. But I seemed to be emotionless while chatting. Uryū clearly noticed and after a while he stopped talking.

In that quiet silence we ate our lunches. After that long day of school I walked home with Orihime and Keigo.

On the way home we stopped for bubble tea and for a bookstore. My phone rang so I picked up and answered. "Hello? Who is this?"

I heard nothing but strong breathing. I shuddered and ended the call. Orihime saw my face and knew something was up. "What's wrong Ichigo?"

I looked up from my phone and quietly said "Nothing much Orihime, thanks for asking." She smiled and sat down next to me. "C'mere." I looked at her puzzled about what she was talking about.

She grabbed my neck with her soft hands and held me close to her bosom. I flushed and looked at her. She giggled and let me go.

We talked all the way home. I dropped Orihime home and took the one block path that lead to my house. I walked into my house and found Karin and Yuzu watching a movie.

I walked upstairs to think about what had happened the day before yesterday. I slumped down onto my bed and started my daydream when I received a text.

'What! How could this happen?' I just sat there puzzled by my text message. I read the sender name again and again before I received this message: "Ichigo! You idiot just answer!"

I quickly took my phone (I almost dropped it by reading that message) and quickly opened Phone (The app) and I dialed the number the sender had given me.

"Hello? Who is this?" I said cautiously. "It's me, or did you forget because you have a brain the size of a strawberry?" I was about to angrily yell "Shut up!" when I finally recognized that voice.

The voice was soft and feminine. I knew who it was. "What are you doing here?!" Oh I'm busy right now. "Are you doing your job right now?" I asked.

"Yeah I'm almost done. My brother is really good at securing things." My mood changed all of a sudden and I become really happy. "Wow that's good! Come over later… Rukia!"