Chapter 1: The Girl with the Amber Eyes

For those of you who are following "Bloodstained Souls," I am taking a very short break from that story in order to move past some writer's block I have been experiencing. I hope to get back to it either later this week or early next week.

After I post the first few chapters of this new story, I will be going back to "Desires of the Heart" as well. If all goes according to plan, the "Professor Kurosaki" rewrite will also get its first new chapter up soon enough.

Just so everyone is clear, this is a complete AU. This means that there will be no Soul Reapers or Hollows. There will be some minor supernatural elements though. Fair warning, this story may not be what it might first appear to be. ;)

I hope you all enjoy!

AlucardsBro Out!

"Some people wish for their lives to be like fairy tales.

They want to meet their prince or princess, and live happily ever after.

Well, my life actually was like a fairy tale;

And, although there were definitely hardships, I would never wish for anything to change it…"

The streets of Tokyo were just as busy as one might expect them to be on a Monday morning.

People bustled about, trying to get through their daily lives as efficiently as possible. Some went to their jobs, some went home, and some where simply out enjoying themselves. One young man, however, was simply trying to get to school before the bell rang.

Jogging amongst the crowds of people at a brisk pace, Ichigo Kurosaki shouted apologies as he bumped shoulders with various pedestrians. He really hadn't meant to wake up late, but apparently his damn alarm clock had decided to die during the night, and therefore it hadn't gone off at its predetermined time.

He could see the distinctive shape of Tokyo University just a few blocks ahead, and he let out a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, when he glanced down at his watch, that relief was squashed faster than a watermelon at the beach.

His light jog became a dead-on sprint, and he ignored the shouts of indignation and frustration that were directed his way.

Tearing through the gates of the campus, he blurred past other students and quickly made his way through the entrance of the History Building. Ascending the stairs at an almost superhuman speed, the orange-haired young man managed to squeeze through the classroom doors just as his professor was closing them.

"Ah, Mister Kurosaki, you aren't usually late so I will be excusing your tardiness this one time. I will not be so lenient in the future," the middle-aged man warned with a slightly raised brow.

"I'm sorry Professor Ukitake; my alarm clock busted on me during the night. It won't happen again," the twenty-one-year-old student gasped, collapsing into his seat. Several other students further down the row scooted away. Ichigo reeked of sweat…

The white-haired professor merely shook his head and made his way back up to the front of the class. "Alright then everyone, please take out your textbooks and open them up to page fifty-nine. Today we will be discussing the French Revolution, and how it made such a large impact on the rest of the world's history."

Reaching into his backpack and pulling out his textbook and notepad, Ichigo prepared to take some extremely diligent notes, but a sudden flash of color suddenly caught his attention. Looking up from his desk, the orange-head was surprised to see an unfamiliar face sitting several rows in front of him. The young woman in question had dark skin, which contrasted quite colorfully with her dark purple hair. A simple orange shirt covered her upper half, and a pair of long black leggings concealed her legs.

She turned slightly, and Ichigo was finally able to catch a glimpse of her eyes. They were a truly stunning shade of bright amber…

Who the hell was she? He'd been in this class for over half a semester, but not once had he ever even seen her anywhere else on campus. Whoever she was, she was incredibly beautiful…

The violet-haired woman suddenly turned around and caught him red-handed in his staring. She offered him a coy smile and a friendly wave, and Ichigo merely grumbled under his breath and turned a light shade of red.

Looking back down at his textbook, he attempted to tune back into what Professor Ukitake was discussing. However, unfortunately for him, the image of that pearly white smile and those dancing golden eyes appeared to be seared directly into his brain.

Taking a chance, he looked back up at the mysterious girl, and was relieved to see that she too had turned her attention back to the front of the classroom.

Shaking his head, he once again tried to focus back on the subject matter. He was only partially successful…

The rest of the day went by as it always did.

After his first class had ended, Ichigo had lost sight of the golden-eyed girl. Unfortunately, he didn't have any time to spare looking for her. Moving on to his next class, his thoughts had eventually become clearer, and he was able to focus once again on actually listening to the material he was being taught.

Near the middle of the day, he finally caught enough of a break between his last two classes to grab a bite to eat, and so he made his way to the campus café. Shuffling through the long line of his fellow students was a bit of a chore, but after picking himself out a sandwich, an apple, and some soda, he finally made his way to a secluded table where he could relax.

Sitting down, he prepared to dig into his meal, but a sudden tapping on his shoulder interrupted him. Looking over his shoulder, he was confused to see that there was absolutely no one there. A loud crunching sound caught his attention, and he whirled back around to witness the girl from his class taking a very generous bite out of his apple.

"Hey!" He griped. "That was mine!"

"Call it payment for staring at me like a pervert," she replied with an easy shrug.

"I wasn't-"

"Yeah, you kinda were…"

Letting out a sigh, Ichigo gestured to the empty seat next to him, where his new acquaintance promptly plopped down.

"So, does my stalker have a name?" the violet-haired beauty snarked.

"Ichigo Kurosaki; and if anything, you're the stalker for following me all the way to the cafeteria," the orange-head shot back. The girl actually let out a laugh and lightly punched his shoulder.

"Fair enough Berry Boy," she chuckled, ignoring his growl at the nickname. "My name's Yoruichi."

"I didn't ask…"

"Oh, but I know you wanted to."

Ichigo blushed lightly, and Yoruichi belted out another hysterical laugh.

"Anyway…are you a transfer student? I can't say that I've seen you around campus before," the orange-head said.

The young woman shook her head. "Nah, I just had a free day from work and decided to see if I could sit in during a lecture and learn anything worth my time."

"Where do you work?"

"Why do you ask?" she grinned cheekily. "Do you plan on coming by to stare at me through the window?"

Ichigo's forehead slammed into the table, and Yoruichi fell into another series of howling cackles. "Ah, I'm just busting your balls man! I work at a laundromat a few blocks down the street from campus."

Raising his head to finally take a bite from his sandwich, Ichigo regarded her curiously. "You don't really strike me as the kind of person who would work somewhere like that…"

The dark-skinned woman merely shrugged. "Eh, its surprisingly quiet for most of the day, and the payment is good enough."

Nodding in acceptance, Ichigo took another bite of his sandwich before sipping from his can of soda. An oddly comfortable silence washed over the table's occupants, with one chomping away at her stolen apple and the other steadily taking bites out of the remainder of his meal.

It was Yoruichi who finally spoke up again. "So, where do you live?"

The orange-head raised an eyebrow. "Now who's the one asking the weirdly personal questions?"

"Oh, shut up you."

Chuckling, Ichigo leaned back in his seat. "I live in an apartment complex not too far away from the main campus. It's cramped, noisy, and annoying as hell to deal with, but it's been home ever since dad decided to kick me out of the house."

Yoruichi balked. "Your dad kicked you out?!"

"Well not literally," he assured her. "He basically told me to stop being a lazy bump on a log and actually do something with my life. He and my sisters live in a small town not too far outside of Tokyo."

"No mom?" the violet-haired woman questioned curiously.

Ichigo winced. "No…she was murdered when I was eight…"

"Shit…I'm sorry…"

He waved her concern off easily enough. "Eh, don't be. There was no way you could have known. Besides, it happened a long time ago, and I've learned to accept it."

Taking a final bite out of her apple, Yoruichi pitched it into a nearby trash can. "Still though, at least you got to keep your parents long enough to remember their faces. Mine croaked when I was only a little kid, and since then I've been pitched around from family member to family member."

Shifting awkwardly at the extremely personal story, Ichigo gave his new friend a cautious look. "Are you sure you're okay with telling me something like that…?"

She shrugged, and offered him a sly grin. "Honestly, I probably shouldn't be…but you're weirdly easy to talk to."

He chuckled lightly at that. "Gee, I don't know whether to feel grateful or insulted…"

She snorted and punched him in the arm. "Just take the compliment dumbass."

Silence fell once more, and the two new friends merely sat quietly in one another's company for several long minutes, before finally Yoruichi stood up and reached down to offer him a hand. "Come on, let's go."

Ichigo raised a brow in confusion. "Go? Go where? I still have two more classes."

The violet-haired woman rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Oh, boo-hoo. You look like the kind of guy who does extra credit even when he doesn't need it, so I'm sure you'll make up the time just fine. Now get off your ass, we're going out on the town."

Letting out a startled shout as he was hauled to his feet and dragged away against his will, Ichigo attempted to ignore the various stares and whispers that were being directed their way by the rest of the student body in the area. "W-Wait, do you have any idea where we're even going?"

Yoruichi smirked. "Nope. But that's what makes it fun!"

Allowing himself to be led off of the University campus, Ichigo eventually convinced his friend to let him go and simply allow him to follow her on his own energy. They walked God knew how many hours, and in that time, she led him through multiple fast food stands, video game arcades, and other things that he couldn't even begin to know how to describe.

And against his better judgement, he actually had a good time.

Yoruichi was surprisingly easy to talk to, and she simply had the kind of personality that made communication easy. She was free-spirited, fun-loving, and extremely energetic. She was also an incredible tease, and more than once during their excursion he was forced to clear up several misunderstandings regarding their relationship status.

And then it happened.

They had once again stumbled into an arcade, and while they were walking around through the various game stalls, Yoruichi had honed in on the bane of every young man's wallet. The dreaded claw machine…

She made several very valiant efforts on her own to procure an anime-style black cat plushie, but no matter how many coins she put into the machine, and no matter how many times she accused the claw of fornicating with its own mother, the damn little plushie absolutely refused to be caught. And then, just when Ichigo thought they were finally going to be able to move along, she had turned to him with wide, soulful eyes and a quivering lower lip.

The young man had of course crumbled to her will almost immediately.

Putting yet another coin into the damn machine, Ichigo focused intensely on the plush kitty that seemed to be silently mocking him. The claw slowly moved to hover over the toy, and with Yoruichi practically vibrating in place next to him, the orange-head carefully moved the claw down in an attempt to finally grab their desired prize.

Incredibly enough, the claw's arms hooked under those of the plush kitty, and slowly but surely, the toy was lifted into the air. Both man and woman held their breath as it was carried over to the delivery bin, and when it was finally successfully dropped into the hatch, Yoruichi squealed like a schoolgirl and flung her arms around her companion. Ichigo himself felt as if he'd just diffused the world's most deadly bomb.

Crouching down, he pulled the kitty from the machine and offered it to his smiling friend, who took it and cuddled it against her chest like a baby. "Thanks Berry Boy, I just have a thing for black cats."

"Yeah," he snorted. "Don't mention it. Please. Ever again."

Laughing, Yoruichi reached down to clutch his hand, before pulling him out of the arcade and to their next destination. As for Ichigo himself, all he could do was stare dumbly at their intertwined fingers.

The rest of the day went…amazingly.

They had fun, ate delicious food, played even more games, and enjoyed each other's company. It felt as if they'd known each other for years instead of only a few hours.

Eventually, the sun began to sink below the horizon, and Ichigo and Yoruichi made their way back to where their adventure had begun.

"So, do you want me to walk you to your apartment?" the orange-head asked politely.

Yoruichi snorted. "I doubt we'd be able to walk there before morning. I live a pretty long way from here."

Ichigo frowned and looked at his watch.

11:13 p.m.

"It's a little late to be riding the train alone," he said, concern tinting his voice.

She grinned coyly. "Aw, is my shining knight worried for my safety? Don't worry your colorful little head Berry Boy; I'm a big girl, I can handle a little bit of darkness and loneliness."

"Or you could spend the night at my place…" Ichigo offered.

Yoruichi suddenly froze, and the orange-head had to jerk slightly to keep pace with her.

"You…you don't need to do that…" she said in an oddly soft voice.

Ichigo shook his head. "It wouldn't feel right to make you take the train all the way across the city when its nearly midnight. You can stay the night at my place, and then you can go back home tomorrow morning."

The violet-haired woman remained silent for several long minutes before finally nodding in acceptance. "Alright…" she conceded quietly.

Frowning at her uncharacteristic timidity, Ichigo gently took her hand and continued to lead her down the street towards his apartment complex. Most of the building's tenants were already fast asleep, so the duo didn't draw too much attention. The only living thing that acknowledged their arrival was a small dog, which barked frantically at Yoruichi.

"That's weird," Ichigo mused as he turned his key in the lock. "Komamura has never barked at anyone like that before…"

His companion merely shrugged, but once he had his back turned, she hissed at the dog, sending it scampering away.

Once they entered the apartment, Ichigo waved around widely. "Well, like I said; it's not much, but it's home…"

Yoruichi could only look around the cramped living quarters in a small degree of shock. When her new friend had said his apartment was small, she didn't think he meant it'd be this small. The tiny space was comprised of a single living room, which housed a plush comfortable looking chair and a television, along with a small couch. She could see a closed door further down the tiny hallway, which she assumed was the only bedroom. A bathroom was situated on the side of the hall, and Ichigo himself was is the cramped kitchen, digging through the cabinets.

"This isn't a home, Berry Boy…"

He turned around and frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Do you love it here?" she asked.

"I think the answer to that should be fairly obvious…"

She smiled and shook her head gently. "Then this isn't a home; it's just a house. A home is where you spend your time with the people and things you love."

Ichigo's eyes widened slightly. "Wow, I never took you to be the deep and philosophical type."

She snorted. "Did you seriously just call me dumb?"

"Hey, you said it not me."

She laughed, and he couldn't help but grin along as he finally found what he was looking for. Pulling out two cups of instant ramen from the cabinet, he set them on counter and set about boiling some water.

"What are you doing over there?" Yoruichi mused curiously.

"Making dinner," he replied.

"Mmm, how romantic," she chuckled. "Cramped quarters and convenience store noodles. You'll really have to try hard to top this on the second date."

Ichigo froze. "T-The what?"

Yoruichi simply smirked at his apparent loss of brain function. "Well, what did you think we were doing all day?"

"Hanging out?" he choked questionably.

The violet-haired beauty shook her head and smiled in obvious amusement. "Ichigo, you escorted a young woman all around town and showed her a better time than she's had in a very long while. You bought me food, held my hand, and won me a prize." She emphasized her last point by holding up her black cat plushie. "I don't know about you, but that's what I call a date. And you even brought me back to your apartment, as cramped as it is, to feed me and keep me from going home all by myself."

Ichigo turned nearly as red as his namesake. "Well, when you put it that way…"

Laughing musically, Yoruichi swiftly closed the distance between the door and the kitchenette and gently wrapped her arms around the young man's shoulders. "You're either the single densest person I have ever met, or you're just dumb enough to not know when a girl is sending you signals," she teased, but her playfulness turned into slight concern when Ichigo failed to react.

"Why me?" he asked, and the obvious disbelief in his tone slightly broke her heart.

"Why not?" she replied. "You're sweet, you're chivalrous, and you know how to show a girl a good time. I've known a lot of jerks over the years who were only ever after one thing, but you blushed like a maniac when all we did was hold hands."

"Yeah well, I haven't had a lot of experience with this kind of thing," the orange-head admitted.

"Oh, so I'm your first then?" she grinned slyly, and laughed when his blush darkened even more. "Seriously though, I'll admit that the original reason I wanted to hang out with you was just to kill some time. But you've intrigued me, and I want to see where this goes."

"So, this whole decision of yours was just based on a whim?" Ichigo asked.

"Isn't everything?" Yoruichi retorted. "Look, I have no idea whether or not this thing will last. We might break up in a week, a month, or even a year. On the other hand, though, we might end up spending the rest our lives together. It could end in catastrophic failure, or it could become something beautiful, but we'll never know unless we try. And I don't know about you, but I want to try…"

Ichigo remained silent for several long minutes, before finally he hesitantly wrapped his arms around her waist. "Sounds good to me…girlfriend," he grinned.

"I'm glad you finally decided to see reason, boyfriend," she teased back, sticking out her tongue. Letting go of her new partner, the violet-haired beauty gently pulled herself out of the orange-head's arms and backpedaled to the couch. "Now then, be a dear and finish up with those noodles. Mamas gonna find something to watch while we eat."

Laughing in spite of himself, Ichigo poured the warm water into the cups of ramen while Yoruichi turned on the television and began flipping through the available channels. He had begun the day in a panic, but now he actually had his first girlfriend, and she was a girl who he had only met a few hours earlier. Funny how the world worked sometimes.

Once the noodles had cooled, he carefully carried them over to the couch, where his guest appeared to have finally settled on a single channel. Ichigo idly noticed that it was an old cheesy romance flick that his mother used to love. Sitting down next to his girlfriend, and wasn't that a mind-boggling thing to say, he handed her one of the cups, which she accepted gratefully.

Leaning back against the plush material of the sofa, and feeling Yoruichi cuddle up against his side with her black cat toy still held snuggly in her arms, Ichigo offered his thanks before digging into the steaming meal.

The new young couple spent several minutes in peaceful silence, content with simply being in one another's company. After a while though, Yoruichi sat up straight and fixed him with a curious look. "Say, this place is pretty cramped…what do you wanna do about sleeping arrangements?"

Ichigo froze mid-bite.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, and the curtains swayed gently in the breeze.

Blearily opening his eyes, Ichigo quickly became aware of a distinct lack of warmth in his tiny little bed. Feeling around, he realized that this was due to the fact that his late-night guest was no longer there.

Rising with a groan, the orange-head saw that there was still an indentation where her body had been, which meant that she had left not too long ago. Her peculiar aroma of catnip mixed with lavender still filled the air.

Looking around, he quickly noticed a sticky note stuck to the wall near her side of the bed. Reaching out to remove it, he brought it closer for inspection.

'Hey baby. Sorry I couldn't stay, but I had to go into work. One of my dumbass coworkers decided to go into labor this morning, so I had to cover her shift. I'll see ya after school.

-XOXO, Yoruichi. P.S. I didn't know that you were a cuddler… 0w0.'

Grinning, Ichigo placed the note on his nightstand. Oddly enough, his new girlfriend's crass and blunt nature was actually kind of endearing. Looking over at the clock on his wall, he was relieved to see that he still had well over an hour and a half before his first class actually started.

That meant he had some time for a nice relaxing cup of coffee.

After scrambling some eggs and brewing his preferred brand of coffee, the orange-head settled down in his only chair and turned on the television to watch the early morning news.

"Good morning Tokyo, this is Shinji Fukaroda with your Tuesday morning broadcast. Early this morning around 2:35 a.m, several reports were sent into our station by at least three civilians, who each claimed to have seen a large, unidentified animal prowling along the rooftops of several buildings. Police and Animal Control officials are currently investigating these alleged sightings, and zoological officials have been consulted to help identify the animal in question. Based on the reports we received, the creature was far too large to be a dog, and there are no known local species of wildlife that even come close to matching the culprit's description. The representatives from the Edogawa Ward Natural Zoo are currently investigating the possibility of an escaped predator. They have advised all civilians in the area to travel in groups until the case has been resolved."

Ichigo raised a brow. It sounded like people were blowing this thing way out of proportion. There were plenty of late-night druggies and alcoholics who roamed the desolate streets during the darkest hours of the night, and one of them had most likely been either high or drunk off their ass and mistaken a big dog for some kind of a wild animal.

Shrugging it off, he continued eating his breakfast while the news report moved on to more domestic topics.

After about twenty minutes of relaxation, the orange-head finally began to prepare for the rest of the day. The walk from his apartment to the University Campus was thankfully less hectic than it had been the previous day, and he managed to arrive at his first class in a very timely manner. Slipping into his usual seat, Ichigo pulled out his required materials and set them on his desk.

The seat next to him suddenly jostled, and he looked over to see one of his closest friends giving him a wide smile.

"Good morning Ichigo!"

"Hey Nel," he replied in a much more subdued fashion.

The green-haired girl frowned at his lack of enthusiasm and poked him accusingly in the arm. "So, Mister, are you gonna tell me where you were during Algebra yesterday? Professor Unohana was really worried about you, and so was I. You never miss class!"

Sighing, the orange-head propped his chin in his open palm and rested his elbow on the desk. "I was…busy."

Nel gave him an extremely flat look. "What's her name?"

"H-Huh?"

"Oh, don't give me that Ichigo," she said, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "The only thing that could keep a good student like you out of class is a bad girl. So, I'll ask again. What's her name?"

Letting out another sigh, he decided to simply relinquish the information she wanted. Nel was exceptionally famous for almost always getting her way in the end anyway. "Her name is Yoruichi. There, are you happy now?"

The green-haired young woman frowned. "Yoruichi? Is she a student here?"

Ichigo shook his head. "No, I don't think she goes to school. She works most of the time, so I doubt she has the time between her job and her personal life to sign up for a full semester of college."

"Wait, you don't think? When did you meet this girl?"

"Yesterday."

"YESTERDAY?!" Nel screeched at the top of her lungs, drawing the attention of almost everyone in the classroom. Ichigo winced and made to placate her, but his friend was already on a roll. "You barely know anything about her, but you're already dating her?! Are you an idiot?!"

The orange-head frowned and firmly pushed her back down into her seat. "Isn't that the point of dating someone? To get to know them better before actually deciding if you want to permanently be with them? Besides, we both like each other, and we want to see what comes of this. There's no harm in that."

Letting out an annoyed huff, Nel folded her arms over her chest. "Fine, I suppose you have a point. But I still think you're rushing into this whole thing way too quickly."

Ichigo snorted. "Duly noted."

Rolling her eyes, the green-haired young woman turned her attention back to the front of the room, where their professor was beginning the lecture. However, after a moment, Nel turned her nose upward and sniffed the air. Turning to Ichigo once again, she fixed him with a peculiar look. "When did you get a cat?"

The young man in question frowned in confusion. "Um…never. I don't have a cat."

Nel continued to look at him for several more moments before eventually shrugging and facing forward once again. "Well, you sure do smell like one."

The rest of the day went by as if it were a blur.

Ichigo was easily able to focus on his assignments, and he also quickly made up everything that he had missed the previous day. However, his thoughts were mostly occupied by a certain golden-eyed beauty.

As cheesy and unbelievable as it might have sounded, he honestly felt a special connection with Yoruichi, and he couldn't even begin to come up with the words to describe it. It felt like something out of a dream. But if this was a dream, then it was one that he never wanted to wake up from.

When his final class of the day ended, Ichigo packed up his books and shouldered his backpack. After exiting the building his class was located in, he made his way to the University's main gates, where he was honestly surprised to see the object of his thoughts waiting for him with two cans of vending machine brand tea.

"Hey stud," Yoruichi grinned, tossing him one of the drinks, which he easily caught with one hand.

"Hey yourself," he smirked back. His girlfriend's grin widened even more, and she quickly stepped forward to wrap her arms around his neck, while his own instinctively came to settle around her waist.

It was almost hilarious how much taller than her he was, even if she still came up to a bit over his shoulder. She was still forced to stand up on the tips of her toes to accomplish her goal, and Ichigo let out a muffled sound of surprise when she gently melded her lips with his own.

When she pulled away, the poor young man could only gape like a fish out of water. "What…what was that for?"

She laughed. "That was to make it official, doofus. Besides, I forgot to give you one before I left this morning."

Ichigo attempted to respond, but no sound emerged when he opened his mouth.

Yoruichi laughed even harder, and patted his cheek affectionately. "Let me guess; your first kiss too?"

The orange-head could only nod.

Tightening her hold on her boyfriend, the violet-haired beauty pulled herself up so that her mouth was level with his ear. "Maybe in the future, I'll be another one of your firsts…"

Ichigo turned so red that he looked fit to spontaneously combust. Deciding to take pity on the poor boy, Yoruichi gave him a final kiss on the cheek and pulled away, taking his hand in one of her own. "Come on baby, there's something I want to show you."

Ichigo could only nod dumbly. Truly, a woman's charm was one of the most powerful forces on the face of the planet…

Instead of going to the entertainment district like they had the previous day, this time Yoruichi led her still shell-shocked partner to a rather large park. Trees dotted the landscape, and a vast rolling field occupied the center of the area.

Coming to a stop underneath a cherry blossom tree, the young couple laid on the grassy ground and stared up at the sky.

"This is my favorite place in the whole city," Yoruichi said wistfully. "Whenever I'm sad, or whenever I need to go somewhere to think, I always come and sit under this tree."

"Why is that?" Ichigo asked, having finally recovered from his stupor.

His girlfriend shrugged. "I don't really know, but I've always felt more at home when I'm surrounded by nature. When I was a little girl, I promised myself that I would go out to the country to live at the base of a towering mountain. Even if I had to build myself a home from scratch with nothing but my own two hands, I swore that would be my ultimate dream."

The orange-head felt a new sense of admiration well up in his chest for the woman lying next to him. "Wow…its impressive that you had that specific of a goal when you were only a kid."

Yoruichi smiled in appreciation and turned over onto her side to properly face him. "What about you Berry Boy? What's your goal in life?"

Continuing to gaze up at the endlessly blue sky, Ichigo actually had to take a moment to think before answering. "Honestly…I don't really know. I guess I always imagined that I'd live my life like everyone else does. Get a good education, find a well-paying job, get married, and maybe raise a couple of kids when I'm ready."

The golden-eyed woman smiled softly. "That's the problem with the world today; people can't see the magic in their lives anymore. They tell themselves that they're okay with just settling for whatever comes their way, but in reality, they could do so much more. Truth be told, a potential adventure could be waiting just around the corner."

Ichigo grinned. "Is this what this thing between us is? The beginning of a new adventure?"

Yoruichi laughed musically. "Who knows? It very well could be."

The young couple shared another laugh and fell back into a comfortable silence as fhey watched the clouds roll by. The chirping of various birds echoed all around them, and several blossoms from the tree above gently blew through the wind. As cliché as it might have sounded, Ichigo could honestly never remember having felt such a moment of utter serenity before.

"You know," he spoke up softly. "Learning how to build a house could be fun…"

He felt his girlfriend tense up beside him, and she slowly lifted herself up to look at him again. "Do you really mean that?" she asked quietly.

Ichigo merely shrugged and offered her a grin. "You're right. People settle too much for what falls in their laps instead of pursuing what makes them happy. You can obviously see the magic in life, and I want you to teach me how to do the same. And maybe, years from now, if everything works out, I'll help you build that house in the countryside."

The orange-head was not prepared when his girlfriend all but flung herself on top of him and began to pepper his face with kisses. He laughed at her enthusiasm, but grew worried when he felt drops of moisture fall onto his cheeks. Looking up, his brow furrowed when he saw tears forming in her eyes.

"Hey now," he soothed. "What's with the tears?"

Yoruichi simply let out a laugh and shook her head, reaching up to wipe her eyes. "It's just…I don't think you realize how much what you just said means to me. All my life, my guardians have told me to grow up and act like a proper lady. Hearing someone actually tell me that my dream sounds beautiful, well…it's actually a bit overwhelming."

Chuckling along with her, Ichigo raised a hand to wipe a thumb across her cheek. "Yeah well, don't let those assholes get you down. If they ever tell you to give up on your dream again, just point me in their direction and I'll shut them up."

Giggling like a schoolgirl, the dark-skinned woman pulled her boyfriend to the side, and their combined momentum sent them tumbling down the hill in a tangle of limbs and laughter.

They completely ignored the other people in the park as they finally rolled to a stop, and Yoruichi leaned down once more to capture Ichigo's lips in a searing kiss.

Several nearby children made disgusted faces at the blatant show of public affection.

An elderly couple sitting on a nearby bench simply smiled warmly at the sight of such young lovers.

As for the couple themselves, they might as well have been on another planet, for the only things that they could focus on was one other.

I am fully aware that Ichigo and Yoruichi's relationship might seem like it is moving too fast, but let it be known that there is such a thing in the world as true love. It is rare, but sometimes two people feel an unexplainable connection with one another.

People cannot decide who they fall in love with, nor when it happens. It might take weeks, months, years, or even something as simple as a single day. I know people who met one day, and were going out the very next. And I can assure you that they are very happily married at this current point in time.

To be fair though, Ichigo and Yoruichi aren't fully in love at this point; they are simply seeing how their relationship will pan out. That being said, they do feel a special connection with each other that neither of them can explain.

And just to avoid any possible confusion in the future, Ichigo is twenty-one and Yoruichi is twenty-three.

As I stated in the beginning Author's Notes, this is a completely AU story, and as such there is no Soul Society, Wandenreich, or Hueco Mundo. Several familiar faces might pop up here and there, but for the most part I will be focusing on Ichigo and Yoruichi.

Even so, there will be some minor supernatural elements, but they won't be extremely grand.

And like I said earlier, if you think that this is going to turn out to be another typical romance story, then I encourage you to actually stick with it and see what happens.

Reviews are always appreciated, and I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter.

AlucardsBro OUT!