Here are some things you need to know before reading:

•This reimagining starts off right after Byakuyu and Renji take Rukia back to the Soul Society.

•Ichigo's only sibling is Karin

•Ichigo has some feelings towards Orihime

•No Kon

•Ichigo and Orihime's friends are removed

•No Jinta or Ururu. Just Urahara and Tessai

In no way, shape, or form do I believe I'm better than Tite Kubo, since I am not under the pressure of a time crunch or an editor. All changes are for my personal tastes. With that out of the way, enjoy!

"Hey, Kurosaki!"

A voice called out, breaking through Ichigo's thoughts. He turned to see a boy from his class waving at him. The boy had short black hair, piercing black eyes, and a bandage over his left eyebrow.

"Uh... nice to meet you?" Ichigo replied, his confusion evident.

The boy's face fell into a frown. "What? You still don't remember me? It's Momohara! Tetsuo Momohara!"

Ichigo stared at him, genuinely bewildered. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall ever seeing this guy before.

"After all the times I asked you to join the karate team, you still don't remember me?" Momohara pressed, his tone a mix of exasperation and amusement.

"Oh yeah... sorry," Ichigo muttered, feeling a twinge of guilt as he tried to piece together the missing fragments of memory.

Taking his seat, Ichigo opened his bag and retrieved the medicine Urahara had given him. The note echoed in his mind: Take one of these pills every hour. By tonight, your wounds should feel a lot better. Until then, go to school. Summer vacation starts tomorrow.

He glanced at the pill in his hand, marveling at its potency. This medicine is amazing. One pill and the pain is gone. Yet, a deeper unease gnawed at him. What really shocked me was that no one at school remembers Rukia. Momohara is sitting in Rukia's place. No one has even mentioned her name. Now I understand this is what it means to return to the Soul Society. She's erased from this world and from people's hearts. Everything about her existence is gone. A blank.

The rest of the class passed in a blur, Ichigo lost in his thoughts. He barely noticed when the teacher began her final monologue.

"Well, that's all for announcements. All right, kids, come back alive in September! Class dismissed!"

The room erupted in cheers, students buzzing with excitement about their summer plans. Ichigo remained seated, his mind still on Rukia and the events that had unfolded.

Uryu was absent today. I thought maybe he'd remember Rukia... Ichigo sighed, gathering his things and heading out of the classroom. As he walked home, Rukia remained at the forefront of his thoughts.

It feels weird. Everyone's acting normal. Our world still rotates without Rukia. Why shouldn't it? Rukia's originally from the Soul Society. She never belonged here...

His musings were interrupted by a presence in front of him. Orihime Inoue stood, blocking his path with a worried expression.

"Orihime? What's wrong?" Ichigo asked, taken aback.

"Where'd Rukia go? Why did everybody suddenly forget her? Do you know?" Orihime's voice was laced with concern.

Ichigo stood there, shocked. Out of everyone, he hadn't expected Orihime to remember Rukia. He managed a small smile and gestured for them to sit on a nearby set of steps. Slowly, he explained everything that had happened.

"Oh... she went back to her world and you want to help her," Orihime said, understanding dawning on her face.

"Yeah... I'm surprised. I didn't think you could see us. Why didn't you..." Ichigo began, but Orihime interrupted him.

"What are you gonna do?" she asked, her eyes serious.

Ichigo was at a loss for words, questioning if what he wanted to do was right. Suddenly, Orihime stood up and smiled.

"Of course it is! I could say all this stuff about it, but you've already made up your mind." She threw out her lower lip, clenched her jaw, crossed her arms, and threw her head back, impersonating Ichigo. "You'll say, 'Alive, there's a chance you can see your family again. But you can't if you're dead!'"

She stopped her impersonation and got up close to him, smiling warmly. "That's what my Ichigo would tell her. Go save her and good luck. I don't want my friend Rukia to die either."

Ichigo got slightly flustered by Orihime's words before gaining a determined look on his face. "Thank you, Orihime," he said calmly, then turned and ran up the stairs, giving Orihime a slight wave.

"Sure... just don't get hurt, okay?" Orihime called after him.

As Orihime began to walk away, she stopped. "No. I won't let him," she muttered to herself. She turned around and walked towards the nearest phone booth. She put in the necessary change and dialed a number. The phone rang for a second before being picked up.

"Chad... I've made up my mind."

Ichigo ran to Urahara's shop, where Urahara and Tessai were waiting outside. "How are your wounds?" Urahara asked, his tone casual.

Ichigo stopped and opened up his shirt, revealing many scars littered around his body. Two scars on each shoulder, one between his pectorals, and one large scar down his abdomen.

"Completely healed," Ichigo replied, his voice determined.

"Good! Did you get permission from your family?" Urahara inquired.

"Yeah. I told my dad I'm crashing at Chad's place," Ichigo said.

"Couldn't you come up with anything better?" Urahara teased.

"Watch it," Ichigo responded, irritated.

"Alright, let's get started," Urahara said, turning to lead the way inside.

Ichigo began to follow Urahara but suddenly stopped and bowed deeply. "Thanks for saving me!" he yelled.

Urahara and Tessai stopped, shocked looks on their faces.

"Did you say anything?" Urahara asked.

"Uh... no," Ichigo mumbled, straightening up.

Urahara simply smiled at Ichigo. "I didn't think so. I'm looking forward to this. Ten days to train, seven days to open the gate to the Soul Society, then thirteen days to save Rukia. Got it?"

"Got it," Ichigo replied, his determination unwavering.