AN: For those of you who follow what I do and what not, you're probably wondering why I'm starting yet another fic when I still got two that are going strong and a handful of others that have become forgotten. Well….it's cuz I can haha.

I figure I've done enough stories with Naruto as the main character for now and so I wanna branch out and try out some different characters. I recently began to rewatch a bunch of old anime series (Samurai Champloo, Cowboy Bepop, Ruroni Kenshin) and Bleach caught my eye once again. Going from the beginning I was reminded why I was so into the series. There was tension, plot, comedy, the characters were all memorable, and the fight scenes….god damn the fight scenes. Honestly Bleach has some of the best fight scenes in all of anime, in my opinion. I'm talking Ichigo vs. Kenpachi, Soifon vs. Yoruichi, and the height of the first arc, Ichigo vs. Byakuya.

Honestly though it was after that, that the series slowly began to go downhill. It picked up a bit with the Fake Karuka arc and the peak was Ichigo and Aizen demolishing that whole area. I firmly believe the series should have ended there. Maybe a nice epilogue of Ichigo finally dying and being welcomed back to Soul Society as a Captain or something. Nice little bow no? But nope, we got the whole Fullbring, Ichigo isn't just a Vizard but half something else (didn't wanna spoil), and all this other shit.

Well not this story! I shall right the wrongs (wrongs in my mind)! This won't be an epic length story like my previous endeavors, and will be sticking pretty damn close to canon (event wise). To be honest there will really only be a small handful of changes, but those changes will bear some interesting diversions later.

Notable changes; Ichigo will still be canon to those he doesn't know but much like he was as a kid when around trusted friends and family. He will be a little more level-headed. Zangetsu IS his Zanpaktou (for those of you who know what I mean), in fact anything beyond the battle with Aizen bears nothing on this story. None of that shit happens, doesn't exist!

Pairing…well I was leaning towards Yoruichi, Nel, MAYBE Orihime, and maybe even Tatsuki. Tatsuki gets shirked quite often which sucks cuz her and Ichigo did grow up together and remained friends through everything.

No this isn't a harem. It's a pick one deal. Had enough harems and dealing with the backlash of those for the moment. Will probably write a harem story for Ichigo later but that shall not be this fic.

Also some of you know I like to title my fics after songs I like. This fic is titled after the song by Jamie's Elsewhere (Me no own) which I think fits Ichigo pretty nicely. Not to a T but pretty close.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or it's characters. Just some some dude who is using them to entertain myself and others.

Well that's a long AN…..ONTO THE STORY!

"My name is Rukia Kuchiki."

"Nice to meet you Rukia. I'm Ichigo Kurosaki."

Where usually these two sentences would merely signify the meeting of two people the current situation couldn't be further from the usual.

The first voice, Rukia, was someone who looked to be no older than 16 or 17 due to her short stature and petite build. What was odd about her appearance was not only the black robes she donned but the blood that flowed from a massive bite wound in her shoulder. What was even stranger was that she was holding a katana aimed straight at the second voice's lower abdomen.

Said voice belonged to a young man who stood at an imposing five foot nine inches. His height and rather muscled build would lead most to believe that the orange haired young man was somewhere in his late teens. However he was in actuality only 15. What was odd about the teen was not only his bright and spiky orange hair but the fact that instead of showing any fear at having a razor sharp katana aimed at him he instead held the blade in one of his hands, almost as if he were guiding it pierce him.

Not only seconds later that's exactly what he did, pulling the blade of the katana so that it ran him through.

The hours prior to this were, in all honesty, a very normal day…at least as normal as it got for Ichigo.

He had been woken up by his "alarm clock", better known as his own father bursting into his room and attempting to drop kick him. After years of this though Ichigo had grown accustomed to the actions of his oddball father and so had nonchalantly tossed said man out of his bedroom window.

Breakfast was a normal affair as well, his little sister Yuzu preparing the morning meal with her customary warm smile. His other little sister and Yuzu's fraternal twin, Karin, merely greeted him with a grunt. His father, Isshin, joined the rest of the family at the table only a few short minutes later looking like he hadn't just been tossed out of a second story window.

For all intents and purposes the Kurosaki household seemed to be like any other family happily enjoying a meal before getting ready for the day's events; Ichigo walking his two little sisters to school while on the way to his own and Isshin preparing for his day of work at the family clinic.

The only thing that would strike most as odd or out of the ordinary was the sight of Ichigo scaring off the neighborhood punks from a sidewalk grave and proceeding to talk to the air. However for Ichigo this was anything but odd, it merely being a normal part of his life. It had been that way since as far back as he could remember after all. For as far back as he could recall he had the strange gift of being able to talk with the spirits of the dead who had yet to pass on to whatever the afterlife entailed.

Most of the time he would pay them no mind but there were a few ghosts that had sought him out or that he had found himself striking up a conversation with. The fact that he would often help his father in their family clinic meant that he found himself helping his fair share of spirits come to terms with their own demise.

The spirit in front of him however was a bit of a different case. In life she had been your average young girl. Unfortunately she had been playing a little too close to the street and had been hit by a driver who had not been paying attention to the road and didn't see her.

Ichigo had a soft spot for her as she was about the age of his own little sisters and his big brother complex screamed at him to help her out in any way he could. As such he had taken to visiting her when he could and keeping her company, going so far as to make sure that the spot where she had died had at least one flower in a vase he had bought with his own money.

The rest of the day consisted of the usual; going to school, hanging out with friends, and then heading home with his little sisters in tow.

After that was when it got weird.

The orange haired teen had been lying in his bed relaxing after another long day of dealing with his father, school, and other typical teenage things when an ebony haired girl garbed in all black robes and carrying a katana literally phased through his wall.

After a rather interesting exchange between the two Ichigo was told of the existence of, not only spirits, but of beings known as Shinigami, whose duty was to help the spirits of the dearly departed safely cross over into the afterlife. However the, somewhat arrogantly named, God's of Death were also tasked with slaying creatures known as Hollows, spirits of those so corrupt that their spirits had twisted themselves into beastly forms that no longer resembled their former selves.

The petite girl then told him that she had been on the tail of one such creature which is why she had found herself in his bedroom.

Before they could converse much more a guttural roar rang throughout the Kurosaki household which was then followed by a tremor and screams of terror. Ichigo immediately recognized the screams as coming from Karin and had thusly ignored the calls of the Shinigami and ran downstairs to find his dark haired little sister in the clutches of a creature easily the size of their home.

The size and beastly nature of the creature did not register in his mind, only the fact that his sister was in danger was at the forefront of his mind. His brotherly instincts kicking Ichigo grabbed the closest item at hand, a stool, and ran full speed at the beast, intent on showing it why you didn't mess with the Kurosaki family.

Before he could do that though the short Shinigami intervened and slammed her body into his much larger frame, sending him tumbling to the floor in an undignified mess of limbs. Ichigo looked up in anger and was ready to chew out the supposed God of Death for getting in his way when he saw said robed girl draw her katana in an attempt to stop the jaws of the beast from taking a chunk of flesh out of her shoulder.

She succeeded in that endeavor…somewhat.

While she still had her shoulder attached to her body the beast's teeth had managed to stab into the area surrounding the joint, gouging trenches in her flesh that quickly filled with the red liquid of life.

To her credit Rukia had merely let out a low grunt in acknowledgement of the pain where many would instead have been screaming their throats raw or may have even blacked out from the loss of blood.

Seemingly satisfied with gravely wounding the Shinigami the Hollow saw fit to preoccupy itself with its current prey, giving Ichigo the room to rush to Rukia's side. A short chat latter wherein Rukia explained that by impaling himself with her katana she would be able to temporarily give the strawberry haired teen the power to slay the Hollow and rescue his sister saw the two at the current time.

Having the power, even temporarily, to save his family had been all the incentive Ichigo needed. He had long ago promised himself that he would go to any length to keep his family safe, regardless of the consequences that would fall upon him. Some would question the logic behind the whole "getting stabbed by a sword gives you powers" thing but at this point Ichigo really couldn't argue. Here he was talking to a katana wielding shortie who called herself a Shinigami and behind him stood a huge beast with a porcelain white mask about to have his sister for a midnight snack. Yeah logic had been tossed out the window as far as Ichigo was concerned.

That in mind Ichigo went ahead with the ordeal and pulled the sword towards him, but instead of the expected shower of blood a bright column of blue tinted light erupted from where Ichigo stood. The pillar of bright light enveloped the whole area and blinded any of those unlucky enough to be caught in its blinding luminescence.

Laying on the floor now stripped of her katana, her robes once a pitch black now a pure white, Rukia stared in shock at the massive show of power which seemed to come just shy of a seated officer's power, coming ever closer to her own level of power which – while nowhere near a Lieutenant's or Captain's level – was nothing to scoff at.

How is this possible? There's no way some mortal not even out of puberty yet should be capable of such power. I meant to only give him a fragment of my power and here he's taken all of it and somehow mixed it with his own, Rukia's mind raced.

When the light show finally came to an end Rukia was even more shocked at what said pillar had been hiding.

Where once there stood a rather tall teen clad in pajamas now stood said teen garbed in the traditional black shihakusho befitting a trained Shinigami and a huge blade as long as he was tall and almost as wide with an almost out of place standard tsuka (handle) sheathed on his back. A golden colored tassel dangled from the kashira (buttcap).

The Hollow took notice of Ichigo's massive leap in power and focused it's predatory gaze on the teen, a hungry grin stretching across the porcelain white mask that covered its face. In its absent minded daze the beast began to lumber over to the newly minted Shinigami, intent on filling its stomach with the Reiatsu that now bathed the surrounding area. That same hunger would prove to be its downfall as it did not take notice of Ichigo hefting the massive blade from his back. It only realized that the strawberry haired teen had drawn his sword when he noticed that it was lacking something – the girl he had been about to devour and more importantly the hand that had held the girl.

An eerily calm Ichigo cradled the form of his unconscious sister in his left arm, going over her form to check for any grave injuries that would need to be addressed then and there. Seeing none Ichigo smiled as he saw her eyes blearily open before she quietly muttered, "Ichi-nii."

In return a loving smile appeared on Ichigo's face, "It's fine Karin. Just get some rest and let onii-chan handle this mess ok?"

The young ebony haired girl gave a barely noticeable nod of the head before the dark embrace of unconsciousness took her. With his sister relatively ok and safe Ichigo moved into what remained of his home where he laid his sister to rest. A cursory check using his newly found awareness let him know that his other younger sister and father were also ok and safe from the beast. With that piece of mind Ichigo turned a glacial gaze on the still agonizing Hollow. Unknowingly Ichigo began to subconsciously call on the massive amounts of Reiryoku that now flowed freely through his body, giving his normally honey brown eyes a slightly blue luminescent tint.

"You invaded my home, you harmed my family, and even worse you thought you could get away with it all and take my sister as a snack. For that you will DIE!"

A gruff and somehow familiar voice echoed from within Ichigo's mind, "Use me. Defend what is precious to us! Never back down!"

In the blink of an eye Ichigo seemingly fazed out of existence only to reappear behind the now eerily still Hollow with his sword laying across his shoulders. Another blink of the eye and the Hollow's once pristine mask was covered by a shower of blood that spewed forth from the massive slash wound that carved into it from the abdomen to the top of its skull. With a cry of agony the beast burst into dark shadowy bits leaving no trace that it had ever even existed.

Was that…Shunpo (Flash Step)!?...No…that was pure speed, a shell shocked Rukia thought.

Ichigo only turned to look at the still downed form of the Shinigami who had essentially saved both his and his family's lives with a quirked eyebrow.

"The heck you looking at shortie?"

The next morning Ichigo could only sigh and shake his head in exasperation.

It seemed that the little Shinigami had used some magic or some other Shinigami technique to convince his family that the damage to their home had been caused by a truck slamming into it, not by the somewhat physical manifestation of a human's soul that had given into its darker instincts. He wasn't too bothered by the cover-up as it only made sense that she would fabricate some story to hide not only her existence but to also keep the general populace ignorant of what really happened after death.

What was bothering Ichigo was the odd pulling sensation that he felt lingering around the edges of his mind; too distant to call to the forefront of his thought process but close enough to be noticed. The minor irritation the feeling was causing was being compounded by his friends and other people he knew in passing badgering him about the accident that had caused most of his house to be damaged. Of course two individuals could tell that Ichigo was hiding something.

The first was Tatsuki Arisawa a short haired tomboy and Ichigo's best friend since childhood. Having known the strawberry haired teen since before the devastating accident that left the Kurosaki household without a mother she was close enough to Ichigo to pick up on the slight differences in his normal persona. It also helped that with her having known Ichigo for so long she was one of the few to see and experience a side of Ichigo so very few got to; the gentle, loving, intelligent, and level headed big brother side of him. Most saw him as a ruffian who tended to get into fights with the local gangs, but Tatsuki knew that he was still the gentle big brother that had walked through the doors of that dojo clinging to his mother all those years ago.

The other person to suspect something was off was Ichigo's only close male friend, Sado "Chad" Yasutora a tall teen of Mexican descent whose shaggy hair covered most of his face. The two had met through unlikely events that led to them being as close as brothers.

Ichigo had picked a fight with a local thug yet again, but this thug had connections with one of the more violent gangs around Karakura and in retaliation they had taken Ichigo hostage and near beaten the teen to death. Chad had showed up and interfered, taking the beating that was meant for Ichigo. Despite the various bruises and cuts the well built teen had taken he stood frighteningly tall in defense of Ichigo.

After that the two had made a vow to protect what the other saw as precious, forging a bond that had seen them through various fights and detentions together.

The difference between the two was that despite Chad's intimidating stature he was a typical "gentle giant", preferring to speak only when spoken to and solve problems as non-violently as possible. This by no means meant that Chad was weak, far from it. The few times Chad had felt the need to throw punches the victim had to be treated for either severe bone fractures or broken bones altogether.

Tatsuki on the other hand was very outspoken, preferring to punch first and ask questions later; a mentality she shared with Ichigo. Out of the three Tatsuki was possibly the most dangerous, having been trained in martial arts since a very young age, even competing in her fair share of tournaments, always managing to place in the top 5. While Ichigo had also trained at a young age he had stopped doing so after a few years, only to start his own personal regiment that kept him in shape.

That in mind Tatsuki managed to corner her taller friend during a break.

"So what really happened Ichigo?"

Ichigo only quirked an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

Tatsuki sighed before she lightly (to her) smacked Ichigo upside the head.

"Baka! You and I both know that whole truck thing is a lie. Even Chad could tell that you were lying," turning to glance at said teen she continued, "isn't that right big guy?"

Staying true to his style Chad only gave a slight nod.

Tatsuki sweatdropped at the casual reply while Ichigo, already used to Chad's way of communicating, attempted to brush off his persistent friend, "Look Tatsuki it's nothing. Me and my family are fine and the insurance is gonna cover the cost of the repairs, no big deal."

Internally Ichigo answered differently, Besides not like I'm ever gonna have to do that again. That Soul Reaper said it was only temporary after all.

After saying that Ichigo had to suppress the urge to flinch, feeling like he had somehow just jinxed himself.

As if the Kami were out to get Ichigo their sensei walked in and immediately called out in strict voice, "Alright enough out of you brats! Sit down and be quiet, we got a new student joining us."

Please don't let it be who I think it is, Ichigo prayed.

In walked a very familiar short, ebony haired girl.

"Hello everyone! My name us Rukia Kuchiki! Please treat me well!"

Damnit.

"You can take the seat next to Kurosaki. Kurosaki raise your hand!"

Ichigo did as asked but internally was a different matter, Sunnova-

"Hello there Kurosaki-san," Rukia said in an overly cheery voice which was the total opposite of the message she had written on her palm which she was offering to him to shake.

The message plainly read, 'Make a scene and I'll kill you'

My life just couldn't be normal could it? Ichigo thought to himself.

Despite the oddity of the whole situation Ichigo took it in stride and, keeping his usual scowl on his face, shook the offered hand and grunted in acknowledgement knowing that a being who apparently watched over the passage of souls would not choose to start attending high school without some reason.

Hoping against all hope that the Soul Reaper was here only to thank him or go under cover Ichigo went about his normal business, taking notes when needed and answering questions when asked.

Despite his reputation Ichigo was an incredibly bright teen, always getting high marks in any and every subject and placing highly on the yearly exams, usually scoring within the top 15. In reality it was high marks that had kept him from being expelled due to the various fights he had found himself in, the staff knowing that Ichigo was possibly one of the brightest minds Karakura High had to boast about, even without him actually trying. Some of the staff had even speculated that if Ichigo actually applied himself he would be capable of easily scoring within the top 5 and possibly even fighting the supposed genius Uryuu Ishida for the number one spot.

Before class ended the Soul Reaper in disguise passed him a note, telling him to meet her behind the school during lunch break. That nagging feeling was back and Ichigo wondered if he could just brush off the girl and hope that she forgot about him. With a sigh Ichigo knew that wouldn't be the case – she knew where he lived after all.

Resigning himself to his fate Ichigo made his way to one of the lesser used hallways near the back of the school where he waited for the ebony haired girl to meet him. A few minutes later and his patience at its end Ichigo grumbled to himself before pushing himself off the wall he had been leaning against and began to walk away only to be interrupted by a familiar voice, "You know that no normal human should be capable of what you did last night."

With a sigh Ichigo only nodded, "Yeah I figured as much. But cut the crap, what do you want with me and why are you here?"

Rukia walked from around the corner, "That night I only intended to lend you a small portion of my power, unfortunately you took almost all of it leaving me with only enough Reiryoku to cast maybe three Kido a day."

The teen Kurosaki quirked an eyebrow, "Can't you just…I don't know rest a few days and regain it back? Or maybe I can give it back to you?"

Rukia took a seat on the railing and began swaying her feet, "Normally yes I could just regain any lost Reiryoku by resting but with as low as my reserves are it will take much longer to gain it back. And no, the only reason we were able to do it the first time with you was because I know how to properly control my Reiryoku, you….don't. You'd end up killing me instead."

"So what does this all have to do with me?" Ichigo asked as he leaned against the wall.

"With me out of commission I can't fulfill my duties, and with you now having my powers those duties now fall on you."

A long silence enveloped the two before Ichigo shook his head and began to walk away, "Nope. Not my problem."

Wide eyed and slightly angry at the casual dismissal Rukia stormed up to the taller teen and with surprising strength pushed him into the wall.

"I don't think you understand! Hundreds of souls could be destroyed and the Hollow population here will skyrocket if you don't use my powers to fulfill these responsibilities!"

Eyes narrowed Ichigo shoved back, giving himself some space, "This isn't my problem. I appreciate what you did for me and my family, but that was a one-time deal. Just call for back up or whatever."

Not getting any reply Ichigo began to walk away only to be stopped dead in his tracks at what Rukia said next.

"Your family will be in danger."

"…what?"

"That Hollow attacked your home because even as a human you leaked massive amounts of Reiryoku, not including the surprising amounts the rest of your family emit. Now that you've gained even more Reiryoku they will come to you and your house even more intent on devouring you and your family."

That struck a chord in Ichigo. His family had been put in danger because he had inadvertently drawn the beast to their home due to his own ignorance. It echoed all too familiarly with a certain event in his young life. Yet now he had the power to save his family, however to do so he would have to help out this Soul Reaper.

Before either could do anything about they bother heard an animalistic roar from only a few blocks away followed by a beeping sound coming from Rukia's…cellphone?

Rukia simply slipped on an odd looking fingerless glove with a skull on the back of it. Outstretching the same hand she asked in a grim voice, "So what'll it be?"

Without a thought on his part Ichigo pushed himself onto Rukia's hand, pushing out what seemed to be the – somewhat – physical manifestation of his newly gained Shinigami powers, leaving his physical body to drop to the floor like a puppet whose strings were cut.

With speed and agility Ichigo turned and sped off in the direction of the roar. Arriving at a park not too far away from his school Ichigo saw a sight that made his blood boil. A multi-limbed Hollow with a bloodthirsty grin stretching across its white mask was chasing after the soul of a small child, a little boy by the looks of it. As he grasped the hilt of his large sword he felt a strong grip take hold of his shoulder stopping him from moving forward. Looking to his left he saw that it was Rukia who had managed to arrive at the same time he did, though she looked pretty winded from the trip.

"Don't. After all it isn't your problem right?"

Ichigo grit his teeth as he heard the screams of the terrified child as he hid inside of a jungle gym. Then something struck him, a memory he held dear to his heart, a memory that had driven him to become the person he was today.

"Do you know what your name means sochi?"

"Umm…Strawberry?"

"Haha no dear."

"Then what does it mean kaa-chan?"

"It means 'One who Protects'."

"Then I'll do it! I'll grow big and strong and be the one to protect! I'll protect you, Otou-san, and Karin and Yuzu!"

"That's my cute little Ichi haha, but remember sometimes you'll meet others who need protection too ok?"

"And I'll protect them too!"

I told you that I would protect them kaa-chan, that I would protect those who needed me. I won't let you down again! Ichigo thought to himself, a new fire igniting in the depth of his soul.

Then came that voice from night before, "Together Ichigo. Together we will fight as one. Never hesitate!"

A fire in his eye Ichigo shrugged off Rukia's hand and raced towards the Hollow who turned and began to laugh darkly at the sight of Ichigo, thinking itself stronger than the teen.

"You'll make a tasty treat!"

Hefting his massive sword Ichigo ducked underneath one of the Hollow's many limbs before he used his leg strength to send himself into the air, dragging his sword across the mask of the Hollow which sent blood and cries of agony through the air.

Landing on his feet the strawberry haired teen paid no mind to the fading form of the Hollow, instead turning a kind face to the awed child.

"Hey there buddy. You wanna get out of here and go somewhere cool?"

Still somewhat shaken the child looked down and asked, "Wi-will kaa-san and tou-san be there?"

"Were they with you before?" Ichigo asked softly.

"Yeah but then they went away in some weird blue thing."

Knowing that the child meant his parents had crossed over without him Ichigo only nodded, "Then how about I send you to the place where they are?"

Bright eyes of innocence turned to Ichigo, "You can do that!?"

"Yup. Just need to tap my sword on your forehead and you'll be on your way."

"Sugoi! Thanks Mr!"

Smiling Ichigo tapped the kashira of his sword on the boy's forehead. Waving as the boy disappeared into particles of Reishi.

Rukia chose to walk up to the still smiling Ichigo.

"You know what this means right?"

"No. I'm still not doing your job," Ichigo said as he sheathed his sword and began to walk away.

"What!? But you just!-"

"I said I'm not doing your job. You have your duty to whoever the hell your boss is, I don't share that duty. My duty is to my family first and foremost. But I promised someone dear to me long ago that I would help those who need it and I intend to keep that promise with these new powers. If that means killing the occasional Hollow and helping a few souls here and there crossover then so be it."

Rukia's anger faded and she could only stare in awe at what she had just heard from the teen. Somehow he had managed to both accept his duty and reject her's, despite them being pretty similar.

Ichigo Kurosaki…you are….an odd one.

AN: And that is that! I know that there were a lot of details and things that were changed from how the first episode really went, but I didn't want to write the first episode out…that'd be stupid and boring. Also you can (hopefully) already see some of the changes that I've made to the story and some of the characters. Don't worry Rukia will become the Rukia we all know and love but it is only the first chapter.

Also as you may have guess, yes that voice in Ichigo's head is Zangetsu, though he doesn't know that yet. I included him so early on because…well I wanted to and it would make the story a little more interesting!

So options for the pairing are

Yoruichi

Nel

Tatsuki

Nel

I am willing to include Sena and POSSIBLY Orihime. I'll put up a poll so yall can hash it out for me. I like all the options pretty equally though I kind of favor Tatsuki if only because I have a few ideas on how to incorporate her into the whole thing more. Even if she isn't chosen as the pairing though she will still be playing a much larger role than she did in canon.

I like her character and her relationship with Ichigo and the other characters far too much to just let her slide into the background with other characters like Keigo and Mizuiro.

Oh also self promotion time! I opened a Twitch account because I (like a bunch of other youtubers and gamers) have teamed up with St. Judes to help kick cancer in the balls, cuz fuck cancer. Head over to my Twitch page (www . twitch . tv/mattewo) for a link to donate to the cause and even catch me and some friends acting like fools playing various games like Pokemon, Devil May Cry, Gmod, Cards Against Humanity, and whatever else we end up doing.

Wanna join me and my friends on the streams? Hit me up on Steam (Mattewo), twitter (MatewoTheArtist), or on here for details and such!

Seriously donate - no matter if it's a penny, a dollar or a hundred dollars, every bit counts.

That's about all I got to say sooooo

Until next chapter/story!

Peace

Out!