AN: Hey guys. Sorry it took longer than usual to update, but I will update again this weekend for sure. I hope you guys like this chapter, I actually had fun writing it.

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed or is following this story (22 favs and 23 alerts :) )

Debido: thanks for the suggestions! I tried to focus a little more on some details this time, so I hope it turned out good. let me know what you think

Ashes2Ashes121: can't tell you how happy I was when I read your review! thank you so much :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or the characters ('cept OC's) or the places, or…I think that's it…

Chapter 10: Separation

"The shinigami you're looking for…is me," Amaterasu said.

Renji, Rukia and Kohaku gaped at her, not able to think of anything to say. Amaterasu looked only at Kohaku, and he could see an emotion in he could not quite name in her emerald eyes. As the group stood in silence, Kohaku's mind reeled at the thought of Amaterasu being a shinigami. She seemed to dislike shinigami because her friend died after becoming one, but now she's telling us that sheis a shinigami?

"That is not possible. I would have sensed your reiatsu when we first met," Rukia stated, trying to come up with a logical explanation.

"I've had many years to learn how to hide my reiatsu," Amaterasu said quietly, looking to the side with what looked like shame.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Kohaku asked, no emotion in his voice.

"I couldn't let anyone find out that I was a shinigami that had evaded the Gotei 13, not even you."

"You could have trusted me," Kohaku said, his voice harsher than he meant it to be. Amaterasu looked at him and noticed that his amber eyes displayed his hurt.

"I still don't believe that you really are a shinigami," Rukia said.

"I know it must be hard to believe, but it is true. I'm a shinigami."

Something seemed to register in Kohaku's mind, and he felt pain well up in his head. He knelt down, holding his temples and began to black out, not noticing the voices that were calling his name. As he drifted off into blackness, shapes began to form behind his eyelids. Before he could make out the fuzzy figures, he slipped into unconsciousness.

/

Ichigo opened his eyes. He was lying on a bed staring at the ceiling of the small room. He was still wearing his uniform, but he just remained lying there, hands behind his head. As he looked up at the ceiling, a black butterfly floated in through his open window. 'What the hell? What is a butterfly doing here?' A quiet swishing noise and a light thump caused him to look over at his desk.

What he saw made him question his sanity. A petite girl with raven hair and strange clothing had somehow appeared out of his wall, and was now standing on top of his small desk.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked, staring at the girl with apprehension. She simply stared forward, placing a hand on her sword. She began drawing it, causing Ichigo to jump back so that his back was against the wall.

"Put that thing away! You're not slicin' me up!"

The girl simple jumped down off of his desk graceful, barely making any noise as she touched the floor.

"Hey!" Ichigo called, getting frustrated with this weird girl. 'Soul or not, she has no right to just barge into my room and ignore me!'

"I feel it," the girl said. 'Is she talking to herself? Enough of this! I don't know what she wants, but I'm not giving it to her!' Ichigo jumped up, planting a kick in the girl's lower back, sending her crashing to the floor with a grunt.

"Who are you and what do you want!" He asked, flicking on the lights.

"If you think you're a burglar, you're not a very good one!" he yelled, pointing at the girl who was still on the floor, looking confused. "For starters, you shouldn't talk to yourself!"

"You kicked me. But I can't be seen by ordinary humans. Are you saying you can see me?" The girl asked, turning to look at Ichigo with a confused and curious expression.

"Well, considering that it was my foot that I just planted in your behind, you tell me." The girl stood to face him, but she was so short that she had to look up just to see his face.

"You're the one I saw in town earlier. I remember."

"Boy, nothin' gets by you," Ichigo muttered sarcastically. The girl lifted a hand and moved his chin to the side, examining his face.

"How very strange. You look normal, but you must be defective in some way," she said. Ichigo reached up and smacked her small hand away, anger rising.

"I'll show you defective!" he growled, aiming a kick at her stomach. Instead of hitting her, she jumped over the kick and used his leg to launch herself up higher, landing on his head and kickoff, sending him toppling to the floor. Ichigo pushed himself up, feeling a vein pulsing in his temple.

"Who are you?" he growled, turning to look at her.

"You want to know? Then I'll tell you," she said, turning to look down at him. "I'm a shinigami."

/

Kohaku slowly opened his eyes, noticing that he was under a roughly made wooden ceiling. I'm back at the house? How did I get here?

"You're awake. What happened back there strawberry?" Kohaku looked over to see Renji leaning against the wall of his room, red hair sticking out like a beacon in the dark area.

"Go away, Renji," Kohaku mumbled, flashes of the memory still popping up in his head.

"You really should be nicer to him, baka. He did carry you here after all." Kohaku looked over and saw Rukia sitting next to where Renji was standing.

"Shut up, midget."

"What did I say about calling me that?" she asked, hitting him in the head.

"Ow! Dammit Rukia! I just passed out and here you are hitting me!"

"Then don't call me short!"

"Fine, whatever. Why are you two in my room anyway?"

"We came to tell you that we are going back to the Seireitei. We were supposed to check in with our captains a while ago, but after you passed out, we decided to stay until you woke up."

"You're leaving?"

"Yeah. We'll be back late tomorrow. Try not to get too bored without us here."

"It will be a lot less troublesome around here without an insane midget and pineapple headed freak around," he mumbled.

"What was that!" they yelled in unison.

"You heard me," he smirked, liking their reaction.

"You know, forget it. I was going to come straight back here after I checked in with Ukitake-taicho, but now I think I'll take my time, leave you out here with nothing to do all day," Rukia snapped.

"Go right ahead. I don't need you two to entertain me."

"Fine! Renji, come on," Rukia said, storming out the door with Renji on her heels. Kohaku felt the pain in his forehead increase as he watched Rukia storm out of the room. His vision began to blur again, and started to drift back into unconsciousness.

/

Ichigo sat on his bed, reading from some book he hadn't bothered to learn the name of. He had just gotten back from school, and he was still wearing his uniform. As he sat, staring at the page of his book, Rukia climbed through his window, a distant look in her eyes. She went right past him, not even bothering to greet him.

"Rukia?" She ignored him and moved to the closet she lived in.

"Oi, Rukia!" She looked up, slightly dazed.

"Hmm?"

"Is something wrong?" She looked at him, and seemed to debate whether she should tell him something.

"No, I'm fine."

"Rukia, you're not fine. You've been spacing out all day, and you've hardly spoken to me at all," Ichigo stated, walking over to her as she climbed onto her futon.

"I'm fine, Ichigo," she replied, sliding the door shut. Ichigo caught the door before it closed all the way. He had seen her like this before, and always for the same reason.

"You're leaving again." He stated it as a fact, not leaving any room for denial. Rukia averted her gaze, clasping her hands together in her lap. When she finally looked back up at him, her violet eyes held great sadness.

"Ichigo…I-I can't stay here. I have to go back. This time…for good." Ichigo stared at her, no emotion on his face. He felt several feelings well up inside him, some of which he couldn't recognize. Among the ones he could recognize were anger, disappointment, and surprisingly, grief. He turned back around, not able to face her.

"Fine, I hope you have a better time there than you did here," he said, the harshness in his voice even surprising him.

"Ichigo—"

"No, Rukia. I don't want to hear whatever apology or excuse you have made up. I don't care why you feel like you have to go, and I won't accept an apology, so just save it."

Rukia's eyes widened in surprise. He had never talked to her like this. His voice was full of loathing, and he wouldn't even look at her. She longed to see those amber eyes full of the warmth that he only showed her, but she knew even if he did turn, his eyes would be emotionless.

"Ichigo, please…" she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. He smacked her hand away roughly, spinning on her with anger flashing in his eyes.

"I said shut up Rukia! You're leaving and that's all I need to know! Maybe you should just leave now and save us both the trouble of having to see each other for another day!" he shouted. Rukia backed up, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Fine! I wouldn't want to stay here with you anyway! All you do is cause trouble and make life difficult!" she shouted back.

"Then get out! I don't want you here anymore! You're a pain in the ass and you're always in my business! I wish I had never met you!"

Ichigo froze. He hadn't meant those words, but they had come out in the heat of the moment, and he felt like he had just destroyed a part of himself. Rukia felt hot tears sliding down her cheek, and she let out an involuntary sob before she covered it with false anger.

"Well I wouldn't want to cause you any more pain, now would I? I hope you have a nice life, Kurosaki-kun," she stated, spinning on her heels. The way she said Kurosaki-kun struck Ichigo to the bone, and he felt another piece of himself die.

"And don't worry, I won't bother visiting," she said, tears still running down her face. Before Ichigo could say anything, she ran out of the door as fast as she could, sobs racking her torso. Ichigo sat down on the floor with a thump, practically falling down to the ground. He felt his eyes burning with an unfamiliar sensation, and only one thought registered in his mind. 'What have I done?'

AN: I know that the chapter was mostly memories, but the next few chapters will be, but it will explain a lot of what has been going on so far, including why Ichigo has no memories, who Tsuyoshi is, and how Ichigo… never mind, I'll get to that in the story (wouldn't want to spoil anything, right?)

Well, as always, please review to let me know what you think, where I could improve, ask questions, and throw out suggestions. Arigatou!