Chapter 1: Prologue

The sun was glaring. Not being too nonplussed about it, I continued my walk across the fields surrounding a nearby town.

Wandering was something I did. There was nothing else to do… after being killed by some kind of spirit, I lost all sense of purpose. Death was, after all, a kind of release.

Leaving behind no regrets, I began my travels, to look for someone. Of course, I did enjoy the sights once in a while. There was no need to pay for accommodation, travel fees or anything, now that I was dead. I was kinda similar to a freeloading tourist. The only problem I had was that I was constantly hungry, and food for the living can't be eaten by spirits, no matter what they say about the Hungry Ghost Festival.

One step. Two steps. Three steps. Four steps. Rinse and repeat.

That was all I knew to do. Keep walking forward until I find what I'm searching for…that's what the first person I met, some guy in a business suit, told me when I came to. I took his advice. After all, they made sense.

My stomach churned as I once again felt the effects of hunger. Man, this lack of food really sucks. Well, since I couldn't do anything about that, I walked toward the direction where I'd always felt a pull towards to. It seemed like it was brimming with spirits; some felt black, some felt white, and some red. And it looked like the place to go.

I stopped short when I noticed something in the distance. Somewhere towards the left, there stood a lone signboard, looking tattered and weather-beaten. Interested, I disrupted my journey to the source of attraction and detoured over to the signboard. The sun was intensely bright and seemed to be trying its best to prevent me from reading the wordings on the signboard. I ended up having to shield my eyes from its glare using my hands and managed to steal a glance at the signboard.

Karakura Town. 8 miles.

What was interesting was that it pointed directly at the source of the pull. Without another moment's delay I continued my walk down the direction of the signboard, this time having a destination in mind.

Hopefully, Karakura would be as good as it appears to be.

Reaching Karakura town by nightfall, I decided to take a break in a back alley near a run-down looking shop. On the way, I observed the area of Karakura Town. It seemed rich in something, from what I could tell from the air, but somehow I couldn't quite place what it was. There was the central business district or CBD, a school, a river nearby the school, and five main residential areas. My particular back alley was situated right in between the residential areas, which was, by no coincidence, I'm sure, in the shape of a pentagon.

And where I was, the centre of the town, was exactly where the attraction originated from. Well, nearby, actually. The shop was the source.

The Urahara Shop. Or at least, that's what I think it says. It's kinda hard to see in the dark, as the streetlights seemed to be extremely dim tonight. Well, whatever, I think I'm going to get some shuteye…

And that's when I heard a cry. It was one of the masked spirits, one of those that killed me. A part of me wanted to run in fear, fleeing the area. Although that would've been the smartest and easiest way out, I was more concerned for the well-being of the living nearby.

I've dealt with spirits like these before, albeit with extreme difficulty. The one which ended my life was the first. The one that came right after was another. Both were destroyed with a punch to their mask, but immediately after that, I became hungry.

…You know what? I can't starve to death, so I'll just go and help out. A red spirit along with a white one with traces of red were moving towards the black, so I'll probably just do what I can when I get there.

By the time I arrived, some punk with bright orange hair already had a huge sword down the spirit's middle, cleaving it into half with practised ease. Its blade was straight and perhaps it might've been a trick of the light, but it was emanating a soft, white glow from its crossguard. He sheathed the sword into the cover on his back and turned to his companion, who was a midget of a girl with raven locks and a determined face.

"Oi, Rukia, is that all there is for now?"carrot-top asked, sounding bored. He had a gruff voice, befitting of his size (about 6 feet tall, muscular) and stature. He was wearing a black kosode and hakama and his companion seemed to be human…with traces of red in her spirit.

"Yeah," the midget replied after checking her cell phone.

"So since there aren't any more Hollows, can I go to sleep now?" he yawned, sounding sleepy.

So apparently the masked spirits were called Hollows. Actually, it kinda makes sense. They're supposed to be empty on the inside, so they require a mask for a face.

"You idiot! You for got about the konso!" she yelled, pointing at the guy next to me, who seemed terrified of carrot-top, or more likely, his sword.

"Right," he said in a dejected voice," Let's do this…"

He unsheathed his sword again and grabbed his target, gently pressing the pommel of the weapon onto his forehead. The terrified man glowed and soon disappeared into thin air, leaving behind remnants of light.

"Ichigo, you idiot! You're supposed to console before you konso!" she reprimanded him rather harshly.

"Would you shut up, midget? It's almost midnight and I need my sleep! Don't expect me to get anything right for the first hour after you wake me up!" he shouted back. He then turned to me, and assumed his most 'caring' expression, a scowl.

"What's your beef?" Way to go, carrot-top. It's supposed to be a 'console', not a meat market.

"Nothing. I was just trying to get some sleep when I heard the Hollow cry out." I replied with a bored expression on my face.

"Not that. What's holding you back from the afterlife?" He asked, annoyed.

"Nothing." There was something, but I didn't feel like telling him. He didn't seem like someone I could trust.

The girl named Rukia looked up from her cell phone and glanced at me. Her eyes narrowed when she saw my chest chain. It's shorter than most, so I guessed that it gave her some concern. Its length was actually half of what it was yesterday, so something must've happened.

"His soul chain is dangerously short, Ichigo. Skip the console this one time and deliver him into the Soul Society." She remarked quietly.

The seriousness of her voice immediately alerted him that her request was urgent. He nodded with a solemn face and raised his sword, his target my forehead this time.

"Glad to oblige."

He pressed the pommel of his sword to my forehead and I suddenly felt unburdened. Every single weight I had to carry before this was gone in the blink of an eye. There was a momentary elation as I began to disappear, starting from my feet. I looked at the girl, who gave a reassuring nod, before wondering why I hadn't done this before.

I remembered. The reason why I chose to stay when given a choice between the afterlife and the world of the living. I needed to find two people, to tell them about what happened. One was Hiyori, a friend I knew since I was a child, and...

I looked once again at the pair as my neck disappeared. They were smiling faintly.

Damn them.

I found Hiyori, but I still needed to find the other.

My other.

My twin sister.

Kairi.

And look at them, smiling like a couple of idiots. Damn them.

As darkness came over me, it seemed that I was travelling through a warped tunnel. Damn those two.

I began to fade… my mind longing to give in to the lull of sleep. But Kairi….

Damn it. DAMN IT ALL!

I'm not going just yet!

THEN DON'T.

I rematerialized and glared at the offending pair, who stood with stupefied expressions on their faces. I was about to say something when I heard a loud, yet subtle clanking sound coming from below me.

I started to look down when I was interrupted by an intense pain where my heart was supposed to be. It hurt like hell…like something was eating its way in. The excruciating pain unwired my mind and I found myself unable to think for a period of time. Moments of the torture passed, and the world turned white.

A/N: Hey, this is my first fanfic ever. I'm not exactly great at writing stories, but I'm going to try anyway. Reviews would be extremely appreciated. Don't worry, the story becomes juicier after this!

For those who haven't noticed, this takes place when Ichigo is still an unofficial Substitute Shinigami, before the Rescue Arc.