"It's so wet!" the little boy cried as he clung onto his mother's skirt, trying to shelter himself from the heavy down pour of rain.

"Just hold onto my hand and stay under the umbrella Ichigo, that way you'll keep dry" she said, holding out her hand. The boy grabbed it, then holding on tightly he began to walk alongside his mother as they walked besides the river.

"So how was your karate lesson, Ichigo?" she asked. The boy looked away from his mother for a moment as though he was ashamed.

"I lost to that girl again…" he said quietly, obviously embarrassed that he kept losing to a girl.

"Don't worry about it dear" said his mother as she ruffled his orange hair "She's been there longer than you, so she's had more time to get better, you'll catch up soon" the boy smiled brightly at his mother reassuring words.

"Yeah and when I do catch up Tatski won't know what hit her!" he said getting excited.

"See, there's no shame to losing against someone who's had more practice" she said cheerfully, though quickly realising that his attention was now focused on something else. He's eyes fixated on an empty spot at the edge of the river.

"Why's she standing at the edge of the river? Doesn't she know she might fall in?" he asked his mother, not noticing the strange looks she was giving him.

"Who might fall in?" asked his mother confused as to what her son was talking about.

"That girl!" he said pointing his finger at the empty spot impatiently "Can't you see her?"

"I can't see anyone…" said his mother, feeling uneasy, this wasn't the first time her son had claimed to see people where there was no one to be seen.

"You wait here, I'll go tell her to get away from the edge" he said before running in the direction of the empty spot.

"Ichigo comeback!" his mother shouted as she dropped her umbrella and ran after him "there's no one there! Come back!" she cried desperately as she saw her son suddenly stop right at he edge of the river, his eyes filled with terror as he stood frozen, scared by something only he could see. The then he was falling into the river as though he'd been knocked over by some invisible force. His mother ran forwards, reaching out into the river, already knowing that it was too late, her son was gone. Looking down at the ground she began to cry, there was no way Ichigo could had survived. Her son was almost definitely dead. Curling into a ball the women began to cry as any mother would at the loss of her son, though she cried even harder than most since she was sure she could have prevented it. She kept crying, not knowing of the conversation that was going on right behind her.

"Are you sure it's okay to just leave her there?" asked a young woman dressed in strange robe like clothes, who carried a sword in her hand.

"We couldn't do anything for her anyway" said her companion, who though seeming superior to the young woman, looked as though he was about the same age as the boy who had just fallen into the river "it's not like she can see us" he said seriously as he looked at he crying women in front of him.

"Maybe we could find that little boy and use konson, send him to a nice place in the soul society…" seeing the look on her companion's face she stopped.

"You know we don't have time for this, we have more important things to do, it was only chance that we came across that hollow on our way to our destination, we've saved this women, the boy will just have to find his own way" he said, sounding as though he just wanted to get a move on.

"Your so cold Toshiro, with heart like steel such as yours maybe you will become my next lieutenant" she said smiling sure that her comment would irritate him. Toshiro turned around and glared at the women.

"Matsumoto, where did you hear that I was running for lieutenant?" he asked, irritated.

"Everyone's talking about it, Toshiro, the youngest Shinigami ever to run for lieutenant, this mission is about that too, isn't it?" she asked, knowing that from the look on his face she'd hit the mark.

"Just be quiet, we need to get moving" he said, quickly leaping off, leaving Matsumoto behind. She looked at the crying women for a few moments before quickly chasing after Toshiro. Only one strange thought crossed her mind as she left the scene, hadn't that boy been able to see the hollow? When he'd stared transfixed to the spot looking exactly where the hollow had been, had that little orange haired boy actually seen it?

Meanwhile Ichigo was trying to understand his hopeless situation. There were many things that were very wrong at that moment in time.

No.1 being that his body was a few feet away from him where it had washed up on the shore.

No.2 He was definitely sure he had become transparent.

No.3 why the hell was there a big chain coming out of his chest?

There was only one way to explain it all and little Ichigo didn't like it.

"I must be dead" he said as though saying it aloud would confirm it. It was strange, he knew, that he wasn't upset but for some reason the thought didn't really bother him. He was actually almost glad, at least he hadn't disappeared. Though it was kind of depressing to think that his family might not be able to see him anymore...

On the thought of family he remembered his mother, what if the monster that had pushed him into the river had gotten her too?

Rushing home he ran through the door (literally) and was greeted by a very strange sight. All of his family, his father, his mother and his two little sisters were crying as they held onto one another for support.

"Is this because I'm dead?" he asked out loud, already knowing that they probably couldn't hear him, but then he heard Karin mutter something that sounded like yes. He walked over to Karin and whispered the most kind and reassuring words anyone whose dead could say, he then heard his sister gasp as she pulled her herself away from her mother, staring dazed as she looked at the hazy outline of her older brother.

"Ichigo?" she asked rubbing her eyes but when she looked again he was gone.

"What is it Karin?" asked her mother.

"I think I just saw Ichigo" she said, the dazed expression still on her face.

"What did he say?"

"He said I shouldn't worry, he doesn't mind being dead" her mother wiped away her tears and laughed.

"It would be just like Ichigo to say something like that"

Ichigo looked around at the dirty old town he seemed to have appeared in.

"Where am I?" he asked aloud, catching the attention of a passerby.

"You just arrived huh?" an old man asked leaning down so he could meet Ichigo at eye level.

"I think so…" he said unsurely.

"Well let me tell you where you are, Rukongai the eightieth district" he said offering no other explanation, before walking off leaving Ichigo behind.

"Wait!" he called out helplessly "what does that mean?"

"it means your in the lowest of the low kid, things will only get worse for you hear on out" and with that the old man left leaving the little boy on his own, surrounded by crowds of people he didn't know. He was scared out of his mind.

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Something I came up with when I was bored if you're interested and want to see more then tell me with a review, if you hated then tell me as well. I love constructive criticism.