~FIREFLY KNIGHTS~

Bleach Copyright Tite Kubo

Firefly Knights Copyright Illand Girl

'For those that need a Guardian.'

Chapter 1: Begin

The swing squeaked as its chains were swung back and forth.

Snow fell like cotton, littering the ground with its fluff as the darkened sky stretched on for miles. An emptiness filled the air, as if something was missing. A void that could not be filled.

A little girl sat in the swing, dragging her toe through the patch of snow just under her foot as she slowly rocked back and forth. A pendulum following the eb and flow. Her eyes were downcast, staring at the red hidden by the freshly fallen snowflakes. Her lips parted as she let out a breath. Indigo eyes stared at her boot clad foot for the longest time, a shiver running through her thin shoulders.

Small hands came into view then.

"Found you!"

She was so shocked that she almost fell off the swing, but the tiny hands held her by her shoulders, grasping at the fabric of her jacket. Looking up, the little girl saw a boy beaming at her. His honey brown eyes lit up when they locked eyes.

That's right. She was supposed to be hiding. Her eyes welled up as she remembered why she wasn't hiding. She sniffled once before the tears fledged out and dribbled down her cheeks. The boy's glee turned to worry at the clear sorrow written across her face. His smile shrunk as his eyes widened.

"Naomi?" he asked in a softer tone, unsure of what was happening. He felt it then, a small tremble in her shoulders. It built as he held onto her tighter. Her eyes grew distant, like she wasn't there with him anymore.

"They're gone."

"That should be all, Mr. Kurosaki." I said while brushing off my clothing.

"Thank you so much Naomi! It's such a pleasure having you work here! I swear you brighten up the whole clinic!" Isshin Kurosaki, aka my boss, shouted at me with a huge grin. I plastered on a smile as well, very much used to his antics.

"It's no problem, I love working here actually. I've learned a lot about medicine and healthcare since I started." I said before glancing at the time. It was time to head home soon. Better hurry with the rest of the cleanup. Isshin watched me move around the counter, crossing his arms with a huff.

"Hmph, if only my own children shared the same enthusiasm as you did! But no, they would rather leave me to fend for myself here!" Isshin said with tears in his eyes. I gave a small snort. My boss was often considered a fanatic. Only ever showing a serious side with his patients. Other than that, and a few small instances, I had never seen a serious look cross the man's face.

"Speaking off my offspring, aren't you going to be in Ichigo's school?" Isshin brought up. I paused, blinking for a moment at the change of conversation. It elicited a shiver up my spine at the thought of the orange haired boy.

"I think so, I mean I'm going to the local High School this year and not upstate." I replied while going over to the lockers to put away my hospital shoes, trading them for a shabby pair of sneakers.

"Well do keep an eye on him! That brat likes to make trouble for me." Isshin said. I giggled lightly as I threw my coat on.

"No problem Mr. Kurosaki, have a nice evening." I said before giving a curt nod and heading to the door.

"Oh Naomi! I have something for you!" I paused before turning back to my boss. He bolted out of the room before returning with a tin moments later. He shoved it into my hands. The bottom felt cold, likely because it had been sitting in the fridge all this time. I stared at it for a moment, then lifted the lid to find several smaller containers nestled in the tin.

"Yuzu wanted to thank you for getting me home on time even when it's busy. I don't know why she feels I'm not home enough! I see them all the time! Why I think I'm home more than here- ugh, but here's dinner for you, so you don't need to make anything for yourself. There's enough for three people in there so your mother and you can pig out!" Isshin said rapidly. I flinched slightly at the end but covered it up by taking the large dish with a forced smile.

"Tell Yuzu I said thank you, and I'll bring the tray back tomorrow." I said while turning to the door. I held the tin to my chest with one hand while the other reached for the knob. Isshin shook his head before making a shooing motion with his hands.

"Take it for all the time you need! Now get going! It's cold outside and I would hate for you to be out in the snow too long. I'll lock up tonight, you have fun."

"Good night Mr. Kurosaki." I said before making my way out of the small clinic. The clinic was closer to his house than mine, so it made sense for me to leave a bit earlier than he did. The nights were still long, and the sun was setting already. It was a good idea to head home while I still had some light.

My walk was silent as I trekked back to my apartment, that little conversation with Isshin had me thinking of school. Today was March 3rd, meaning school was almost up. I had virtually passed all my courses save for writing the finals, so I wasn't even the least bit worried about my grades or final marks. I had considered going to the private high school upstate, having essentially graduated from the joint middle school now. However, going to an academy was costly, and simply put, I didn't have the cash anymore. It made more sense to return to a familiar place to continue my education rather than suffer through a lack of funds for the next few years.

That, and it gave me the chance to reunite with a lot of important people I hadn't seen in years.

So, I found myself a job to get some extra cash, packed up my things, and moved back to Karakura. The moment my foot stepped out of the train I felt like a weight was off my shoulders. I'd missed this town.

As for going back to school, that brought back memories of elementary.

I hadn't lived in the area for years, hadn't spoken to a single person from that school in forever. A little orange head stuck out in my mind. Tiny warm hands...

Ichigo...

We used to play together all the time, I wondered how much he had changed since then. Was he the same kind of grump, or a new one? Were we still friends even? Would he recognize me? Want to talk with me? Or had a wedge been driven between us since the last time we spoke? My stomach dropped at the thought, remembering our last conversation.

By the time my thoughts had drifted over the memories shared with the carrot top, I had arrived at home. It was cold since I turned off the heat in my apartment to save on cash, but the tiny heater beside my bed flickered on and gave me hope at warming up. I didn't bother turning any lights on and instead rustled around to place my dinner in a microwavable bowl before setting it to heat up as well.

I parked it by my bedside under copious blankets in front of the heater until I heard a beep. I only spared the few seconds it took to dart across the studio flat to grab the food and chopsticks before bolting back to my bed. In the warmth I smiled and began to inhale my meal. It was delicious, and as much as I wanted to eat the dessert, I decided to save it for a rainy day. I placed the leftovers inside my tiny fridge before changing my clothes and darting back to bed. Cozied under the mound of blankets I found solstice in the dark, quiet apartment.

Sleep came quickly afterwards.

Exams were officially over.

I gave a sigh of relief as I made it to the street of the clinic. It had been a stressful day of tests, but the weight of finals lifted from my shoulders like a backpack I could leave behind at the school doors. My thoughts jumbled around with the many faces of people saying goodbye. Supposed friends that wished me luck but never to asking to talk or hang out. We were parting ways for good it seemed, as neither I nor any of my so-called friends wanted to stay in contact. I couldn't say I was going to miss any of them, but the sentiment was nice I guess-

My foot slipped.

I had been thinking about everything besides where I was going and walked straight onto a patch of ice. I would've gone pot over tea kettle had it not been for two sturdy hands catching the back of my shoulders.

"Careful now. You should watch where you're going." A smooth male voice said. I blinked a few times, registering that I hadn't actually fallen, before looking up and behind me at my savior.

Bright orange hair was the first thing that caught my gaze, and then the warm honey eyes. My eyes widened, staring at the boy for what felt like minutes but was likely only a second or two. A grin I hadn't worn in ages flitted across my lips, emotions bubbling inside of me at just the sight of him.

"Long time no see, Ichigo." I said before carefully turning around. His hands fell from my shoulders, shoving into his pockets as a frown tugged at his lips. He squinted, looking confused.

"Sorry but... Do I know you?" He asked. I felt a tug at my heartstrings, feeling both happy and sad that he didn't recognize me. It wasn't that much of a surprise I suppose. While Ichigo hadn't changed other than getting taller, finally taller than I was, I had changed a lot more. I was still short, but my chubby face had thinned out, my short messy hair had smoothed down my back in gentle waves. I looked more adult-like, finally getting a modest chest and wider hips that looked good in a skirt.

I bit my lower lip lightly, feeling like teasing him a bit.

"Aw you don't remember me? It's your wifey!" I said with a giggle. Ichigo's eyes practically popped out of his head at that, making me laugh. It took him a moment before everything seemed to properly register.

"Naomi?" Ichigo asked. I nodded, still grinning. The confusion was replaced with bright eyes that I remembered vividly. Suddenly no time had passed, and we were 12 again, a smirk of his own slipped onto his lips. "Well hey, nice to see you. It's been a while. How have you been? Come to think of it, why are you here? Uh not that it's not great to see you-"

"Slow down Ichigo," I laughed, feeling lighter than I had in a long time. "I'm okay, I'm moving back to the area and got a job at your Dad's clinic. Been working for a few days and officially finished school today. I should be going to public school in April. How about you?"

We began to walk to the clinic, though I was mindful of the ice now and tentative mapped my pathing out to evade anymore ice patches.

"Nothing special, same old..." He trailed off and gave me a once over. I raised a brow at him. Ichigo's eyes met mine and I could see thoughts flying past his eyes as we locked our gazes. I raised a brow.

"Why are you looking at my like that?" I asked. He stared for another second before looking away.

"Nothing just..." He looked back again. "You don't really look that different, I'm surprised I didn't recognize you right off the hop like you recognized me."

I giggled before reaching up, mind you it was quite high since I was now tiny compared to Ichigo –when the Hell did that happen? - to tug very gently at his orange locks.

"Well this mop certainly gave you away." I teased. He swatted my hand from his head, a grumble in his voice.

"Hey come one! I get teased enough about this hair of mine. Not you too." He said in an irritated tone. I just smirked, not at all deterred by his attitude. He really hadn't changed much, other than he seemed to scowl a lot more now.

"Well I'm glad you didn't dye it. I like it still, can pick you out in a crowd right away, ya hooligan." I finished in a slightly twangy accent. Ichigo rolled his eyes before opening the clinic door for me to go first. I nodded in thanks before walking inside.

"IIIIIICHIGOOOOOO!" Isshin's voice carried throughout the clinic the moment his son stepped through the doors. This startled a lot of the customers. However, most of the staff didn't even bat an eye, many of us were used to this behaviour, me included. I watched as Isshin ran up to his son and tried to hug him, only to be completely psyched out and run into the adjacent wall. I sighed at the thought of having to run off to the store and pick up the plaster. The older man's whines of 'that was mean ' could be heard as I made my way to the lockers and shrugged off my coat. Ichigo continued to ignore his father and gave an irritated sigh.

"C'mon, we're in a clinic for crying out loud." Ichigo muttered while leaning against the wall. Isshin dug his head out of the hole he had created before looking at Ichigo with tears flooding down his face.

"But Ichigo! You never come into the clinic!" Isshin said as he dug himself out. He dusted himself off and eyed his son suspiciously. "Come to think of it, why are you here?"

Ichigo went to retort but stopped suddenly, looking very lost for a moment as he collected his thoughts. I raised a brow when his brown eyes looked down at me. He seemed to realize what he'd done, pushing himself off the wall as he continued to stare down at me.

"See you around, Nao." Ichigo said quietly. My gut flipped as he used my nickname. Ichigo left shortly after throwing a goodbye at his father over his shoulder. Isshin watched him go, hummed to himself in thought, and then seemed to realize what had happened.

"Ohhhhh, he was following you, Naomi." Isshin said with a grin. I laughed, changing my shoes as Isshin kept glancing at the door. He looked like he expected Ichigo to return suddenly.

"We were just catching up, Mr. Kurosaki. I haven't seen him since I was 12." Isshin hummed, his eyes growing distant as he thought of something from the past.

"I remember when you two would pretend to be married! It was the cutest thing ever! You'd put on a candy ring and..." Isshin went off on a tangent as he continued talking. I leaned against the counter, propping myself up as I glanced at the door where Ichigo had left.

"Ichigo... Can I really be your wife one day?"

"Sure Naomi!"

I smiled at the memory of 6-year-old us. The very one Isshin was gushing about.

There was no doubt in my mind that I hadn't seen the last of Ichigo Kurosaki.

Hey all, chapters 1-18 are under revision for mostly grammar and contingency purposes. For new readers, here is a quick run down of what to expect from this story.

-The MC is a strong female character who is DTF (down to fight)
- a lot of blood and some gore-y bits
-MC deals with past traumas (non-explicit)
-consensual sex scenes
-attempted SA (non-explicit)
-psychological abuse, physical abuse, and similar themes
-mentions of dark thoughts (suicide/depression, non-explicit) but not related to mental health (this will make sense later)

There are never going to be trigger warnings on any chapters unless it has become an explicit chapter. Also, to be clear, the OTP is Naomi and Ichigo, this is not a slow burn romance. This story spans up to the end of Aizen's arc. There will be a sequel covering TYBW. It is a happy ending, but a lot of struggle to get there.

Thanks for reading, hope to see you in future reads. If you ever have questions about the story, whether needing clarification or want spoilers, follow me on Tumblr. There are a lot of spoilers on there for multiple stories of mine, and I will answer any questions you have.

Tumblr: Plznomonkeys

Cheers.

Iland Girl