Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or D Gray Man! I just wish I did.

Beta: the lovely Midnight-Kitsune11.

Ch01

Waking up was painful.

He was small again, but that hadn't registered immediately.

It rained. Hard. He could barely see anything before him.

But his left side hurt and he could almost taste the blood in the air.

Blood.

His entire left side had been covered in it and breathing had been painful.

With each breath he took, he could hear and feel the blood that entered his lungs sloshing around. The pain was bad, almost as bad as that time Tyki Mikk had made a hole in his heart and ripped his innocence and arm off.

His dark grey eyes widened in panic as he could see muscles and bones sticking out of his side as the blood kept on streaming. His small hands scrambled to push the flesh together again.

In the back of his mind, a presence stirred. He sobbed in relief as he felt Nea wake up. The Noah immediately used his regeneration powers to start healing the wound of his host.

It took a while to notice the dead body not far from him.

He had been too busy with his own new and strange body. Strange but somewhat familiar as well…

It pained him that it took him a moment to realise why he cared about her, and when he realized she had been his mother, the tears renewed again. He had loved her with everything he had been, much like he had loved Mana.

He was nine, and he felt just as alone as he had felt for most of his last life.

His name was now Kurosaki Ichigo. Ichigo had been a shy, always smiling boy who had clung to his mother. A mother who was dead now. Killed by that little girl? (Or was something else going on? For just a second, she had reminded him of an Akuma.) He tried to remember.

Before that he had been Allen Walker, a name Mana had given him. He had named himself Red before that, as he lived on the streets and helped out in the circus to survive.

Out of all three lives he had had (and yes, he considered his existence as Red separated from his life as Allen), he had been Allen the longest. All three had been him, and he had never lied to anyone when he changed himself to survive the harsh world he lived in.

Only time would tell who he would be this time orr if he would create another alias to survive.

If he recalled correctly he had a father here, but he had never had a father before. The only male role model he'd had was Mana, and looking back on it as a teenager, he realised that Mana had been very sick.

Alright, so Nea had helped him realise that by reviewing his memories. Allen had never known different, but clearly Nea's death had mentally crippled Mana. It had hurt, realising this. Allen had been very reluctant to face the truth, to say the least.

He mused on all this as Nea carefully stitched the wound closed with his powers. He coughed the remaining blood out of his lungs.

The rain would wash it all away soon anyway.

Someone else was approaching them quickly. He didn't move as he laid on the grass next to the river and even closed his eyes as the person reached him.

Reached him and continued on.

He opened his eyes to glance at the human. A man was crying and clutching his dead mother close. Huh, his father then.

The man, however, didn't seem to notice the small boy.

Allen wasn't sure what to think about that. He'd never had parents before, but it seemed more logical to take care of the person still alive first right? To at least check if they weren't dying?

Because if Nea hadn't woken up in time to heal him, he would have died. No doubt about it.

And yet, for what felt like an eternity his father clutched his mother in desperation, not even looking or acknowledging his hurt son.

Another man appeared. A blond wearing a dark outfit (it was difficult to see the exact colours in the rain) kneeled by Allen's side.

Allen tore his eyes away from his parents to observe the man. The blond examined him carefully, not minding that he was awake. He gently felt for a heartbeat, ran smooth fingers on his side, only to be met with what looked like a scar and torn clothes, but no wound.

"So you managed to survive." The man muttered.

Allen had to force himself not to roll his eyes at the man. "Who are you?"

"A friend of your fathers." The man replied vaguely. "Sleep now."

A strange energy enveloped him and he felt Nea bristle defensively.

Allen shook his head. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing to worry about. You won't remember any of this later, so just rest."

He couldn't fight the feeling and fell asleep.

When he woke up he was in his room or at least what had been Ichigo's room. It felt familiar and weird at the same time.

He couldn't help but look around in wonder.

The world sure had changed since he had been alive. The room felt light, totally different than the dark room he had known as Allen.

There weren't any toys that he could see, but he knew he had some stored in the closed. There was a small desk, just big enough for a nine year old to do his homework.

School…

Allen grimaced. School was something new. He had never gone before he became Ichigo. He felt nervous about going, because there would be a lot of people there, but he felt excited at the same time.

An education was very important after all. It could ensure he would never end up on the streets again. It could help him to travel as well. He loved travelling, discovering new places and cultures. It was the only upside about being Master Cross's apprentice. The man was constantly running from people he owned debts to, so they never stayed in the same place for long.

He had never been in Japan before. At least, not since the fight before discovering the Ark and the population of Japan had been practically wiped out by then.

He got up from his bed, unconsciously scratching the back of his left hand as it itched.

His door opened and he was briskly smashed into the wall behind his bed.

Groaning, he clutched his side and looked up in shock.

"GOOD MORNING ICHIGO!"

He watched with wide eyes as his father beamed at him in the middle of the room, his leg still in the air from the kick he had delivered to his son.

This couldn't be normal parental behaviour, right?

He couldn't remember the man having ever done that before.

"Training has just begun! You'll never grow up to be a strong man with reflexes like that, Ichigo!" and the man left again, still smiling like an idiot. "Breakfast is ready. You've been lazing about long enough!"

What the hell?

He felt Nea shake in rage.

It was later that morning in the bathroom that he got the next shock, after being attacked by his neanderthal of a father, that is.

His once orange hair had seemingly lost all its colour overnight. Is this because his hair had turned out white in his last life as well? Or was the trauma of losing his mother just that big?

This must be why the twins still shot him wary looks at breakfast.

His hands shook as he clutched the sink.

Maybe it's both. After all, this is the second time his most precious person died because of him.

Another thought entered his head as he finally stood under the shower. He absent-mindedly scratched at his itching arm.

Maybe his dad blamed him as well? For his mother's death… Because the man had attacked him earlier. If Isshin thought he needed special 'training', doesn't that mean the man wants to punish him?

The funeral is the day after he woke up and his father kicked him. It was grey and dreary and it seemed like the rain hadn't stopped fallen since his mother died.

Little Yuzu was the one who tells him he's been sick with fever since the day their mom died. She and Karin had taken care of him, as much as five year olds could.

The blond man hadn't been around, and Allen had been busy taking care of his sisters yesterday. He had tried not to think too much about the loss of his mother, not wanting to dwell on those depressing thoughts.

But now, they all overwhelmed him with a vengeance. He hadn't had time to grieve yet and now wasn't the time to do so either. His father had been a wreck all day, hadn't even kicked him out of bed this morning (he suspected that might become a disturbing habit of the older man). Even now, as they stood by the grave, the man was bawling his eyes out.

Allen had been forced to make sure his sisters had breakfast, that they wore special clothes (appropriate for the occasion) and the worst of it all, his father had left it to him to explain to them what was happening.

He wasn't sure he would ever forgive the man for that.

He held his sisters' hands, and said nothing to all the nameless faces who approach him and say they're sorry. Arisawa Tatsuki, a girl he had started befriending at the dojo who also happened to be his classmate at school was there as well with her parents. She didn't make any direct contact with him. Did she maybe not recognise him with his white hair? He wondered, but he wasn't in the mood to talk, so he left her be. He saw lots of other people present, but the blond man never showed himself.

He wondered why that was. The man clearly knew his father…

The man had said he wouldn't remember, but he did. Remember. Probably more than the man had meant, since he not only remembered what happened when his mother died, but he also remembered his previous life.

His hand was itching again.

Their mother was lowered into the ground, and a few people made a few more speeches, but he wasn't paying any attention. Allen focused on his sisters now, first and foremost. Yuzu started crying, and he pulled both her and Karin into his arms. Both his sisters were crying as the service ended.

Allen himself will cry when he is in his room, alone. Preferably when everyone else in the house is already sleeping.

Their father disappeared after the service so it became Allen's job to get his sisters home and fed. Much like the day before.

He can only hope this wouldn't become a habit, and that their father only needed some time to grieve.

He had never cooked a lot in his previous life, but he could make something simple for the twins. A Mac and cheese was easy to make (even if he needed Nea's instructions to not burn the whole thing) and they had everything needed, so he didn't waste any time.

They ate in silence, and he surprised himself with his big appetite.

It was nothing compared to eating as an exorcist with a parasitic innocence, but he had not expected to eat that much after today.

He helped the girls prepare for bed and stayed with them until they fell asleep, curled around each other.

He went back down to clean up the kitchen and do the dishes. When he was done, his father still hadn't come home so he prepared for bed and when he was finally alone and in his bed, hiding under the covers, only then did he cry.

TBC?

What do you think? I know I should probably focus on my other stories first, but this bunny just wouldn't let me go! Second and third chapter should follow soon-ish ;D Leave a review on the way out?