The sun was shining down brightly and the spring wind brought along a nice fragrance. The weather was cool and bearable, but didn't seem to suit the situation...

"Onii-san said we'll be back soon." Her small voice was about to crack and you could tell the little one was trying her best to hold back heavy tears, concealing her emotions with a quivery smile. "Moving to Okinawa will be best for us." She said those words, but they didn't feel right. Leaving her best friend didn't feel right.

The boy hid behind his orange bangs, fists balled at his sides. Even thought his father was a goofy fellow he never saw him cry, he figured 'real men don't cry' and tried to live by that motto, but as of that moment, he could feel the tears slide down his face disobediently

"I-Ichi-kun?" The tiny girl mumbled out, wondering why her friend was silent.

His fist tightened even harder and suddenly shot his head up strongly. His eyes where clamped shut, tears streaming but wore a toothy smile. "You said you'll come back." He opened his eyes to look at her. "Promise you'll come back, Orihime!" He nearly shouted.

Orihime was taken aback by his outburst and for a moment she stood still. She had never seen Ichigo cry before, she was always the one caught crying... Her tears fell heavily and she could feel a familiar burn in her throat. "I-Ichi-kuuun." She dragged out his name in a wail, rubbing the tears from her gray eyes. She never knew her heart could feel so much pain, even after the way her parents abused her, this was by far the worst feeling she had ever endured.

Once Orihime started to cry his tears stopped. When he herd her in such a state he felt as if it were his job to make her feel better... This would be the last time he got to console her.

"Orihime..."

She looked at him through blurry vision, and before she could respond he had already wrapped his arms around her. Her large eyes widened and her gloomy emotions where bombarded with something new.

"I'm making you promise." He whispered

Her small body froze as his words fell directly into her ear.

"Promise me you'll come back." He held onto her even tighter, as the reality of his beloved best friend leaving washed over him. He never thought a day like this would come.

Sora said they would come back, but what if he only said that to make the move easier for her? What if they couldn't afford to come back? They were leaving town for a reason, to get away from them. What would be Sora's reason to come back to a town filled with dark memories. How could she promise something she had no control over?

"Promise!" He shouted.

She was silent for a moment, as the times they shared together flashed through her mind. He was her first friend, her first love, her everything. How could she not come back for him?

Her arms slowly moved around him and tiny hands gripped onto the back of his shirt. "I promise." She whimpered. "I promise I'll come back."

Six years later.

The annoying ringing of a digital alarm clock rang through out the room caused a long muscular arm to rise from under the covers and slam on top of it, forcing the loud ringing to a stop, followed by a deep lazy groan from under the sheets.

"GOOOOD MORNNNING ICHIGOOO!" A tall man with short stubbly hair grown around his chin in a doctor's coat busted into the room rowdily. Once he saw that his son was still in bed, he prepared himself to launch into the air and plant his foot deeply into his son's face.

Knowing what was coming, Ichigo instincts kicked in, forcing him to spring out of bed and kick his foot right into his father's gut, sending him flying backwards. "Can I at least have one morning where you don't kick down my door!" He shouted.

The father slowly and feebly stood to his feet. His left hand resting over the area Ichigo kicked him and his right held a awkward thumbs up. "You are getting better my son." He spoke in a pained voice. "Your training will soon be complete."

Ichigo gave his father a confused glare. "Training? What training?" It was the same thing his father spouted on about every morning after he nearly killed him with his surprise attacks, but as always his father would never give him a real answer, so why would he today? "Tch, what ever." Ichigo walked past his now weak father nonchalantly, making his way into the bathroom.

After completing his morning routines Ichigo was fully dressed in his uniform, hair somewhat brushed and his bag thrown over his back, now ready for school.

As the orange-haired boy made his way down the stairs, the smell of a just cooked breakfast flew into his nostrils. Eggs, bacon and pancakes, to bad he didn't have time to eat any of it.

He walked into the kitchen and saw what he always saw every morning, Yuzu and Karin at the table eating and his beautiful mother standing over the stove cooking even more food.

Her head turned to the sound of someone walking into the room. "Ichigo you're up." She smiled over to her son lovingly. "I cooked more than enough food, sit down and eat."

Ichigo slowly shook his head with soft eyes and a warm smile. "I can't mom, sorry." He noticed how her long wavy hair was up in a sloppy bun, her eyes a bit puffy, evidence that she had just woken up, and she wore a plane T-shirt with a pair of pajama pants. He wondered, at her age how could she still manage to look like a young adult? "Just toast will be fine."

The mother gave her tall son a look, a look that said you-know-you-need-a-proper-breakfast, but she didn't saw anything. She just placed a buttered toast on a plate for him and smiled. "I'll fix you a nice dinner tonight." She figured that would make up for him missing breakfast. "Actually, I just remembered something." She placed her finger on her plump lip in thought.

Ichigo mentally laughed at how his mother would always forget things. "What did you just remember mom?" He asked with a snicker.

"We're having special guests over for dinner tonight." She said warmly.

Yuzu and Karin turned from their seats, now interested in the conversation. "Who?" They asked

"You two where so young," She walked over to her daughter's and placed her hands on both their heads . "you might not remember them, but they are very special to this family."

Ichigo looked over at the clock that hung over the stove. "I have to go." He picked up his toast and placed a kiss on his mother's forehead as he rushed his way pasted her. "See you guys later." He mumbled through the toast he had hanging from his mouth, making his way out the door.

"I guess Onii-chan wont know who our special guest for dinner will be." Yuzu said looking up at her mother.

The beautiful mother giggled with a girly smile. "I have a feeling your brother will find out pretty soon."

. . .

. . .

Ichigo walked into the nearly empty classroom. He didn't like coming to class early but if he didn't get there early he was most likely to be late, and he couldn't afford another tarty on his record.

He took his seat in the near back of the class and placed his bag on the side of his desk. To occupy himself until his friends came he pulled out his cell phone, giving him something to do.

While checking his e-mail for nothing in particular he couldn't help but over hear a conversation from a group of male student in the front of the class room.

"I"m tellin' ya man, this girl was beyond beautiful. Like something I would see in my dreams." The one male student said, over dramatic.

"Dude, what she look like?" One asked.

"She had long auburn hair, the hugest rack, her waist was super thin and her hips where just amazing! She had long creamy legs... oh and she had these eyes...," The boy looked as if he where wondering into a dream. "The most beautiful set of eyes I've ever seen!"

"Yeah?" Another male student leaned in. "What color were they?"

"They were a light gray, almost silver color." He explained

As the boy described the color of the girl's eyes it made Ichigo reminded her. How her gray eyes would grow large when someone placed a plate full of food in front of her, how they would soften so sweetly as she poured her heart out to her dear brother, and how they sparkled when ever shed tears.

"I promise I'll come back."

It had been over six years. There was no way she was coming back.

"She was standing in the main office." The student continued on. "I've never seen her before so she must be new." He explained.

"Hell yeah, I think I would remember seeing a girl described like that around!"

One trusted his fist into the air with a goofy grin and eyes the shape of beating hearts. "YES! Finally a hott chick that goes to our school!"

"I hope she's in this class!"

Ichigo was already tired of their conversation. He could tell by the way they were speaking that they where a bunch of nerds, nerds that did nothing more then play computer games and fantasize about overdeveloped anime girl or maybe even sexy elf girls from something like The Lord Of The Rings. "Kill me already." He mumbled.

"Oi Ichigo." Spoke a familiar female voice

He looked up from his cell and spotted Rukia and the rest of his friends taking their seats around him. He locked the home screen to his mobile and placed it back in his pocket. He figured he didn't need it anymore, his friend where entertainment enough, and if he where lucky he would be able to witness an argument between Renji and Rukia. It was always fun to watch the newly couple fight.

"There's talk that we have a new student," Renji started "and that she's pretty hot." The read-headed boy said with a grin and node

Rukia, not liking the fact her boyfriend was talking about another girl, shot him a death glare and spoke through her clenched teeth. "Say that again, Renji." She dared.

Renji wore a terrified expression. He didn't like to make his girlfriend mad. Getting Rukia mad was like detonating a bomb, and you better get ready for the explosion. "I-I was kidding princess..." He mustered out in a tremble. "L-love you."

Rukia rolled her blue eyes. "What ever." She snapped her head away from Renji, sending a bullet right through his poor heart.

Ichigo couldn't help but snicker, careful not to let Rukia see that he was laughing over their piety debate. It was exactly what he had hoped for, a quick laugh.

"Ichigo." Rukia called out.

The Kurosaki tensed up, wondering if she had herd his laughter. He slowly turned to face her, not prepared for the raft she would send his way. O-oi...?"

She was about to speak until she noticed his uneasiness, he was fine just a minute ago so what could be the matter? "Are you alright?" She asked curiously.

Ichigo felt a wave of relief wash over him. He was lucky she didn't hear him laugh. If she did all hell would have broken lose and he wasn't in the mood to go head-to-head with the Kuchiki this early in the morning. "Nothing, now what were you saying?" He said, changing the subject.

Rukia was silent for a moment, still studying his body motions. He seemed to be perfectly fine now, nothing to worry about. "Okay..." She started, now getting to the point. "Ishida is putting together a study group..." before she could even get the words out Uryuu cut into her sentence.

"As if I would let Kurosaki into my home." Uryuu said strongly as he adjusted his glasses on the roof of his nose.

Ichigo could feel a vain burst on the side of his head. "Like I would want to come to your stupid house!" He shot back.

Uryuu too felt a vain pop on the side of his head. "I have you know that my house is far from stupid, unlike yourself!"

Ichigo hand's ball into fists on their own. He then leaned over his desk into Uryuu's face. "How about we take this outside, Ishida!"

Uryuu leaned forward into Ichigo's face, accepting his challenge. "Bring it on Kurosaki!"

Rukia slapped her hand across her forehead. She should have known better then to invite Ichigo to Uryuu's house. The two never managed to get along. "I can't believe these two are cousins."

"Hmph, them being sibling would be believable." Renji added.

Chad just nodded. "Mmhm."

Tatsuki -who sat on the other side of the room- stood from her seat. "If you two don't shut the hell up you'll have to see ME outside!" She balled her fist up in the air angrily and aimed it at the two boys, who quickly became silent. "Thank you!" She then took her seat and continued on with her conversation with her red-headed friend.

Giving up on the argument, Ichigo pulled out his phone again and let his friends discuss their study group without him. Like he would want to be apart of a group with Ishida anyways.

Moments later the teacher walked in. She was going on about something Ichigo wasn't paying attention to, probably something about the projects that were due or upcoming exams, he didn't really care, he was to busy playing Angry Birds.

"And now I have a quick announcement everyone." The teacher made her way to the front of the class. "We have a new student, all the way from Okinawa!" She shouted in excitement.

Ichigo's world froze.

"Moving to Okinawa will be best for us."

Those words played back in his mind, showing her round smiling face, shoulder length hair moving with the wind.

Could it be her?

There was a possibility...

maybe...

No. There was no way in the world that the new student could be her. She had moved on with her life. Forgotten all about him. She was to busy attending an Academy for gifted students, had a job, maybe even a boyfriend. To busy spending her life with her brother to care about him. That's what he imaged she would be doing.

"She had these huge eyes, the most beautiful set of eyes I've ever seen! They were a light gray almost silver color."

Maybe a small possibility but, wouldn't she call first, send an E-mail? If she still had his number, he knew his father had got the home phone changed more then once, and his old e-mail he couldn't remember the password to.

He convinced himself that there was no way it could be her.

"Class I would like you to give a warm welcome to our new student!"

The classroom door slid open. A girl with hair as long as a river walked in and stood in front of the class. She held her school bag in front of her and nervelessly looked around the room, hoping to spot him before she would die of embarrassment.

Ichigo couldn't help but gawk at the girl. There was no way it was her, the girl standing in front of the class was too beautiful for him to have known. She had to be the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes upon.

She could feel the stairs and hear the whispers. She wanted nothing more then to melt into a pool of liquid so they couldn't observe her any longer. She needed to find him through the room full of students, and that would be hard since she didn't like making eye contact with people she didn't know.

After what seemed like eternity she finally came across a head full of orange spiky hair. She felt a smile creep across her lips as the feeling of discomfort faded from her being.

Grey eyes locked with brown ones.

Ichigo could feel something grown inside of him. A reaction he only got when she was staring at him. It had been a very long time since he had felt that way, so way now? His eyes widened as the realization fell over him.

"I know I'm a little late on my promise..." Standing in front of a room full of people would usually make her want to faint, but she only looked at him "It's nice to see you again," She could feel her cheeks get warm and was feeling a bit flustered.

Not only had he grown up, he had grown up handsomely. She tried to piece together how he would look after a long 6 years, and in her mind he was perfect, but actually seeing the way he truly looked was way more than she had expected.

For a moment Ichigo felt as if his breathing stopped, along with the world around him. At that moment there were no stars, no sky, no ground, no ceiling, just her and him.

"Ohaiyo, Kurosaki-kun" She smiled with a tilt of her head.

"O-Orihime..."

…

…

So yeah I don't own Bleach, but I'm guessing you guys already knew that. :P

Thanks for reading!