Chapter 1

Fourteen Months. A little over a year. If you asked someone on the street 'how much could happen over a year?' they would probably tell you some silly answer. That a lot could happen, but surely, not enough to change your life? Unless you won the lottery or something. Heh. Those people didn't have any idea. Just how much could change for someone, after but a single year. Those people hadn't had to fight for their life. Hadn't all but died, so many times that they lost count. How could they possibly understand how much his life had changed? When they hadn't had the one thing that gave their life meaning...torn away by their own choice.

Zangetsu. The old bastard always was right, in the end. It hadn't really been a choice. It was give up his powers, or die and see everyone he cared about die. He didn't care about his own life, but he never could give up protecting everyone.

Until he did.

"Ichigo! It's almost time to head out!"

Yuzu's voice. Turning brown eyes to look at his door, still adorned with the number 'fifteen', Ichigo Kurosaki sighed deeply. He knew he was distant. That he didn't smile, or even scowl, anymore. He thought he hid his feelings well...but he never was good at that. Every time his friends ran out to deal with a Hollow, he flinched. He resisted the urge to stand up and run with them. Ichigo had to keep his feelings from showing, or he'd just worry them. He couldn't protect them, and had to be protected.

He wasn't adapting to lacking power well, at all, and his family saw that. Even his idiot of a father. It was that bastard's idea to take the family on a trip to a fair at the big mall at the center of town. A 'family bonding exercise, because my dear Masaki wouldn't want her son to be sad!'. End quote.

I should hit him again, but it wouldn't do any good. He doesn't even feel them anymore.

Sighing again, Ichigo pulled his lanky frame from his bed. Muscles gained through training remained, and let him at least make an honest living. Few people were as physically strong as he was. It was too bad that no amount of physical strength could protect his friends. He wasn't Chad, who could punch a Hollow's head off. Even if he could see one.

"Right, where did I leave my stuff…" Ichigo placed his hands on his thighs, patting down for his phone. He had absently checked it for something, anything, from Rukia or the others. When nothing was there… "Probably shouldn't have thrown that, should I?"

Grumbling now, the teenager got down on his knees and started rooting around underneath his bed. He ignored the feeling of dust and other things, hunting around until his hand came upon two objects. One very familiar, one rather less so. Huh.

"That's where it ended up, eh?" Ichigo pulled his hand out, staring at the carved wood first. His Substitute Badge. The Combat Pass. Whatever one wanted to call it. "I don't even know why I still have this…"

Weighing his options, he finally shrugged, and tossed it back over his head. The thing hadn't done anything since he lost his powers, anyway. It was just a hunk of wood now. Besides, his attention was drawn to the fabric that had come out with it. Fabric that he honestly didn't remember ever getting.

Where did you come from?

A slim red ribbon, faded and dust covered. His first thought was that it belonged to Yuzu. That was discarded in short order. His youngest sister prefered different ribbons. Karin wouldn't be caught dead with this. Was it Orihime's? Rangiku? Rukia?

...man, he forgot how many women had been in his room.

"I don't think it's from any of them, either." Ichigo scowled deeply, holding the old ribbon up to his eyes. Why did it feel familiar? "How in the world did this get in here?"

And why was he suddenly feeling like he was missing something? There was something, at the back of his mind...

'Oh you noticed...it really is my color...why'd you go and buy it…'

Ichigo groaned, and held the ribbon to his suddenly pounding head. "Ow! Goddamnit! Why is this so familiar?"

"Ichigo! Get down here right now, or Daddy is going to come break your door down!" His father's annoying voice wasn't helping, either.

"Shut up, old man! Do you want to wake half the neighborhood?!" Ichigo shouted down, the ribbon forgotten, even as his hand shoved it into his shirt pocket. "I'll be right down, as soon as I find my phone!"

"Did you lose your phone? You delinquent of a son! Why, Masaki would be so upset with you…"

That was the last straw. Ichigo forgot about his phone, and stormed to his door, already plotting how he was getting his father back for that one.

"I'll show you delinquent you little…"

Through it all, the old ribbon sat in his pocket, forgotten as quickly as he had found it.

"Why'd you drag me to this again?" Ichigo complained, looking over at his father.

Isshin Kurosaki grinned back, dressed in quite possibly the ugliest purple suit the man owned. "Because you've been down in the dumps lately, my son! And as your father, it is my fatherly duty to cheer you up!"

"Old man…"

"Also, your sisters are worried about you." Isshin allowed the levity to leave his voice, in a rare moment of seriousness. His dark eyes had hardened, as a hand lifted up to gesture at the younger Kurosaki siblings.

Yuzu and Karin were busy looking through the various stalls. Yuzu animatedly chatting to her sister, who was feigning disinterest, while sending the odd look back at her brother.

"They can't hide it any better than you do, Ichigo," Isshin continued, reaching a hand up to rub at his brow. "Honestly, I'm worried myself. This isn't like you."

Ichigo turned his head, and avoided meeting his father's eyes. "..."

"And that's why I brought you out here. Because you need to get out of your room, and meet a nice gi-"

Just like that, the moment was broken, as Ichigo's fist planted itself into his father's gut. Isshin crumpled with a drawn out 'whhhhyyy', and his son scoffed. The man just couldn't be serious for more than five minutes, could he? Leaving his idiot of a parent to writhe in pain on the ground, the teenager planted his hands in his pockets, and went off on his own. He ignored the various people milling about the mall. It wasn't hard to duck and weave through the crowd. None of them knew him anyway.

No.

None of them would know him, would they? Even people at his school only knew him as 'the orange haired guy who rents himself out to sports teams'. None of them cared about him. His actual friends were probably watching for Hollows. And who even knew what the Shinigami were up to. It was just Ichigo and his family, with a bunch of complete strangers for company.

God, why'd the old man have to do this? I could be working or something. Not that Ichigo enjoyed his job, or his crazy boss, mind you. Or at least playing that game Tatsuki lent me. Instead of…

Trailing off in his mental grousing, the former Substitute looked up. And up some more. Somehow, in his annoyed wandering, he had found himself at the foot of the ferris wheel that dominated this part of Karakura. He had never ridden it himself. Didn't really see the appeal.

Why, then, did he feel like he should have? His hand absently reached into his pocket, pulling the old ribbon free. He looked down at it, and then back up that ferris wheel. The teen bit his lip, and scowled. What was it...

"Heeeeyyyy, whatcha doin'? Got someone you're waiting for?"

Ichigo turned his head, blinking very slowly. A girl, maybe a little younger than him, had come up beside him. She was barely taller than Rukia had been, with slightly-longer purple hair unbound over her shoulders. She wore a bright grin underneath orange eyes, staring up at him. Without a care in the world.

There was something familiar about that look. About that girl.

'Ichigo! We should ride the ferris wheel!'

Doing his best to ignore the throbbing behind his eyes, Ichigo gave the girl a flat look. "I'm here with my family. Why are you here?"

The obvious implication behind his words didn't pass the girl, who laughed at his sour look. "Oh, no reason! I just saw you staring at the ferris wheel and thought I'd see why." Her slim face and full lips scrunched up a little, as the girl pointed up at the imposing ride. "I mean, I like high places. There's something so...relaxing about it, y'know? Like you can…"

"Forget all your worries." Ichigo finished her sentence, without even realizing what he was doing.

Why did I say that? That's so cliche it isn't even funny!

The girl didn't seem to care, just spinning in place a little as she nodded. Her purple hair bounced with each movement, and her skirt fluttered in a non-existent breeze. "Exactly! See, you get it too!" Her blinding grin never once faded, even when she fell back against the wall, and looked up with a small sigh. A happy sigh. "No one else really does. Everyone laughs at me when I eat lunch on the roof, or run around on the bridge. But I like being up high."

Somehow, Ichigo knew she would say that. There was something about this girl, tickling the back of his mind, like an itch he couldn't quite reach. She wasn't from Karakura High and she wasn't one of his friends. Not even part of Orihime's clique. Who was she?

'My name's...nice to meet you...Ichigo huh…'

A question that would have to wait, considering the girl gasped in what was probably exaggerated shock. She had bounced back off the wall, and pointed her finger at Ichigo's hand. The teenager followed her finger, noticing the ribbon fluttering in his grip. Underneath the lights strung over the open roof of the mall, it seemed to shimmer a bit despite its faded and aged condition. Huh.

"Where did you find that?!" The girl's bright orange eyes were wide, and her mouth was opened in a little 'o' of shock. "That's my ribbon! I lost that, god, almost two years ago! Where-how-"

Ichigo held up his hands, blinking at her overreaction. "Whoa whoa, slow down there. This is your ribbon?" He looked down at the red fabric, absently running a thumb over the coarse material. "How do you know it's yours, and not my sister's?"

A little harrumph came from the petite girl, as she crossed her arms over her chest. Her green school uniform shifted with the movement, while she spoke up with a condescending tone. "Because I got it here, silly. I'd recognize it anywhere! A good friend bought me that, when I forgot I tried it on. What was his name…"

Her eyes looked appraisingly, up and down Ichigo's body. A thoughtful expression crossed her pretty face.

"Come to think, you kinda remind me of him! Like, a lot!" Her smile had returned now, even when she reached her hands out to try and snatch the ribbon from Ichigo's hands. The former substitute pulled it back, causing the girl to pout a little. "Hey, no fair! Give it back!"

Ichigo snorted, "I don't even know your name, why would I give it back? I've had this thing for years!"

"...seriously? You don't, like, wear it do you?" The girl sent a disbelieving look at him, smirking in amusement. "Gotta say, it would clash horribly with your hair."

"Cut it out, wise guy." Ichigo stuffed the ribbon back in his pocket, and resisted the urge to reach out and flick the girl in the forehead. Something he would do with Rukia he wouldn't do to some random girl. "No, I don't wear it. It had to be important, or I wouldn't have kept it."

They seemed to be at an impasse. Ichigo didn't want to give up the ribbon, and the girl didn't want to let it go. Both of them, though the former substitute didn't know it, felt like this situation was familiar. Reversed, but familiar. The tall boy holding the ribbon that the short girl wanted. To Ichigo, the girl was tickling something, just beneath the surface. To the girl, Ichigo was so much like the boy who had given her the ribbon in the first place. Someone who she just couldn't quite remember.

Nothing but a shock of orange hair and an annoyed scowl.

And for Ichigo, he kept hearing a voice, whispering in the back of his head.

'...you didn't have to do that...you're so uptight…'

Gritting his teeth against the pounding headache, Ichigo sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Look, if the thing is that special, maybe I could give it back."

"Really?!" The girl stared up at him with hopeful eyes, practically vibrating in place.

"Yeah. But only if you tell me your name, because I don't want to just give something to a random girl."

And, unspoken, was the thought that this girl was familiar. Maybe her name would knock some webs loose, or something. It wouldn't be the first time.

The girl smirked, and waved a hand. "Pfft, that's easy. My name's Senna!"

'My name's Senna.'

"What did you just say?" Ichigo asked, deathly serious. That name. He didn't know it, did he? He had never known anyone named Senna. Yet...yet…

'Ichigo, you're such a meanie! Why'd you leave me and run off like that?'

'Oi! I was doing our job you know!'

The girl, 'Senna', blinked confusedly. "My name? Why're you being so mean all of a sudden?" Her eyes widened, and she pointed a finger at him. "What's your name, anyway? It's polite to introduce yourself first."

"Ichigo Kurosaki," the teen ground out, feeling another stab of pain. Another memory, of a girl smugly telling him that it was polite to give his own name first. A girl dressed as a Shinigami, who had just come out of nowhere.

Flashes of white ran through his mind. White and red. A girl on a pillar of leaves, twirling through the air. A man with white hair and a scar, dragging the girl away under his arm. The stabbing pain of a spear in his gut, and his heart breaking at failing to protect someone again.

'Ichigo!'

'Senna!'

'Ichigoooooo!'

Feeling his legs give out from underneath him, Ichigo fell to his knees. His hands, ribbon still clutched tight, fisted in his short hair. He grit his teeth, and fought back winces of pain as memories flashed faster and faster. The girl, her face always just out of sight, laughing at him. She fell back on his bed, kicking her legs at him childishly. She threw a fit, when he bought her stuff and refused to ride the ferris wheel.

She smiled softly, as they helped a little boy find his father. Her eyes sparkled at him, the barest hint of orange in his mind, when he carried the boy on his shoulders. They were having fun, despite ignoring an important mission. They were enjoying each other being there.

'I can't imagine a world without you, Ichigo. I don't want to live in a world without you!'

'Senna!'

A girl, who looked just like the one staring at him with concern in her orange eyes, sacrificing herself for him. Taking the duty of sacrificing her power to save the world, even if it killed her. Going a step further than even he had gone, with the Final Getsuga Tensho.

"Hey, Ichigo…"

'Hey, Ichigo?'

'Yeah?'

'We'll meet again, right?'

'What are you talking about? Of course we will. I promise.'

"...what's wrong? Are you hurt? Should I call an ambulance?" Senna's concerned voice rang out, as Ichigo turned haunted eyes up at her. She flinched back, confusion lining her features. "What's going on?"

Ichigo could only hand her the ribbon, his voice choking up a little when he spoke. "Here, Senna. I-I promised we'd meet again, you know. I think I've had this long enough."

Senna blinked, reaching her hand out to grasp the fabric. Her small hand brushed against his larger one, and she flinched back at the touch. She held the ribbon, staring at Ichigo. Who stared back, his eyes filled with a pain that he hadn't remembered feeling.

Because everything about this girl, had been forgotten. Her very existence had been erased. If he hadn't caught that ribbon...if she hadn't been standing right here…

"I bought you that, you idiot." Ichigo's voice recovered, just a little, as he looked at her. "Don't you remember?"

Right now, he didn't care if she remembered or not. If he remembered...if she knew that someone 'like him' bought the ribbon...then maybe she would too. Everything was still foggy for him. He didn't remember everything about her.

Yet…

He knew. He had promised that he would meet Senna again. He had been lying at the time, and now, it seemed to have come true. He knew one thing, and one thing only. He wasn't letting this chance slip by him again. He could no more do that, than ignore his mother standing in front of him.

He had failed to protect Senna before. And powerless or not, he would not do that again.

I-I want to remember her. I want her to remember me.

And was that really such a bad thing?

Now, hold off on the pitchforks. I've got about half-a-chapter ready on the Snow reboot and plan on updating that either tomorrow or the day after. Work has proven to be especially draining, since I haven't had what I would call a 'slow' day since...well. Since I last updated that fic. I'm not giving up on it, but it's slow going. Especially since my fics on SV are my primary focus.

Even if I'm 99% sure that the only fic on here that I'll still update is that one...and, I suppose, this. Sorry Soul Hunter, but I just don't have the motivation or the time anymore.

Motivation. Heh.

It's funny. If you look at my story history, you'd think Ichi/Ruki is my favorite Bleach pairing. And, to some extent, you wouldn't be wrong. It's my preferred popular one. But my actual favorite? The character I like the most and the pairing I ship the hardest? Ichi/Sen. 110%, Ichi/Sen. This story is me coming full-circle. My first story, since removed, was an Ichi/Sen fic. The only thing stopping me from doing another one, in the decade since then, has been the knowledge that it was niche when the movie was new and almost unheard of now, some 14 years later.

I kept myself from writing one, thinking that it wasn't worth it. That no one would read it. I still honestly expect that with this, and expect maybe five or six people to review. Why am I doing this then?

Because SV hosts a Skies of Arcadia fic by me now. My absolute favorite franchise, and one that I never wrote anything for a similar reason. A feeling that no one would read it. I'm doing it now, entirely for myself. Not for the readers or views, but for myself.

You can say the same for this. I'm writing this for myself, because I love Senna's character and her interactions with Ichigo. Setting it after Aizen, when he has no powers, just let's me have more fun with the characters. I'm probably not going to include the Quincy stuff, but we'll see what actually does crop up.

Either way...you can expect this to continue. Because it's a very personal project for me.