Thank you to all who read my story, and a bigger thank you to all who reviewed it.

Notes on the text: I skipped much of the rest of Ichigo's first tour in order to speed the plot up a little bit. There will be many references to certain parts of Washington state, because I live there.

Enjoy

December 9, 1968; 1829 local time; Tacoma, Washington, United States

Ichigo's tour of duty was over, he had been sent home; but the inquisitive young boy who had arrived in Vietnam over a year ago was gone. The youthful softness in his skin was gone, replaced by calloses and lean muscle. He looked older, his face was marked by worry lines. His eyes lost their sparkle and gained a glazed appearance.

Everyone was going home, except Urahara, Renji (who extended their tours), and Gin (whose tour wasn't finished). They were the exceptions not the rule...

No more war, no more booby traps, no more ambushes, no more jungle rot...

Home...

After arriving in San Fransisco, he caught a plane to Washington state. He chose to go to Washington because he had family there. Sadly, Ichigo didn't talk to his family after he arrived; even though they lived nearby. Ichigo and his father had not been on good terms after Ichigo joined the Army... against his father's wishes.

He used the money he got from the Army and rented an apartment in downtown Tacoma. The apartment had three rooms, the first room was a living room/kitchen. A table, a chair, a stove, and a refrigerator stood against the wall on the linoleum covered floor of the kitchen. The living room part had a couch and a sliding glass door that led to a small balcony overlooking Puget Sound. The second room was the bedroom which had a small bed, a ceiling fan, and a small closet. The last room was the bathroom, it consisted of a toilet, sink, and small shower with linoleum flooring.

Ichigo took out his belongings from a storage unit, loaded it all into his black Ford F-Series pickup truck, and made himself at home. He hung up his combat and dress uniforms in his closet and pushed them to the side of the rack. Ichigo took out an old, faded, family picture and put it on his nightstand. The picture showed Ichigo, his father, his two sisters Yuzu and Karin... and his mother. Ichigo let out a slight sigh as he remembered the day he got the news of the horrible car accident. The last things he took out were his Winchester Model 70 bolt-action .30-06 rifle, which he put into his closet; and his personal M-1911, which he placed in the drawer of his nightstand.

After getting situated in his new home, Ichigo decided to go out and get a drink. He put on his uniform (in order to get a military discount) and started down the street. He walked down the sidewalk along the busy roadway. As he walked towards the bar, he occasionally saw people look at him and whisper to one another. Others just looked at him with disgust, sneering at him as he walked by.

Ichigo walked into a bar, sat down and ordered a beer. The bartender looked him over and said, "Sorry, we don't serve minors."

Ichigo had forgotten that the legal drinking age was 21 and he was only 19. Ichigo left the bar with a frustrated sigh and walked down the street to go back home. The sun was starting to set as he made his way down the streets towards his apartment. He felt that a great injustice had been done to him. If he was old enough to get shot at in some country ten thousand miles away, why couldn't he get a single drop of alcohol when he got back home?

Ichigo turned on the celing fan and layed down on the bed. He stared at the fan for a while, thinking. The fan's blades moved slowly around in a circle, reminding Ichigo of the rotors of the Hueys he rode in Vietnam...

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December 14, 1968; 1733 local time; Tacoma, Washington, United States

It was Friday, and Ichigo came home from his new job at the Port of Tacoma with his first paycheck. He cashed the check and went to to buy some basic necessities for a weekend hunting trip he was planning. Ichigo had always loved the outdoors when he was young. He had spent many a weekend out hunting on the property his family owned in the mountains. He thought that a hunting trip would help him relax and take his mind off the problems he had with getting back into civilian life.

He drove over to the store and picked up three boxes of .30-06 cartrages, gun oil, and new hiking boots. Ichigo liked his new boots. They were soft and comfortable, unlike the jungle boots he was issued in Vietnam. They also would not rot and fall off in a matter of months due to high humidity. He remembered when his boots wore out during the fifth month of his tour, he had to use a pair of "Ho Chi Mihn sandals" until he got back to the supply depot.

He went back to his apartment and packed his bag. He put in warm clothes, camping gear, a sleeping bag, and his ammunition in a green duffle bag and put it inside the cab. He put his rifle on a rack inside the cab of the truck on the back window.

After making a few final preparations he started the truck and headed toward the mountains.

Jungle rot: a condition similar to athlete's foot, but not limited to feet. It is caused by fungus and was common among soldiers due to Vietnam's humid climate.

Ho Chi Mihn sandals: sandals worn by the NVA and VC, the soles were commonly made from old tires