Author's Notes: Hello! I'm pretty new to the Bleach fandom so I hope I end up doing the characters of Bleach justice! This particular story is going to be a series of drabbles centered around the potential couples in Bleach. I'm quite aware of the numerous pairing wars/debates that are going on but this story will mainly focus on the only couples that I think are plausible meaning they've been hinted at or at least implied. Also, I am basing these drabbles off of the anime version of Bleach. Not because I think the anime is better than the manga. I'm only doing so because that's all I've seen of Bleach so far… I'm well aware of what's currently going on in the manga and from what I've heard/been told, the characters are pretty much the same in both the anime and manga. Thank you in advance for reading my story and constructive criticims are welcomed! Without further ado, here's couple number one: Ichigo/Tatsuki.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or anything else associated with Bleach.

There were few things in this world that could scare Tatsuki Arisawa. It was just one of the reasons why most people admired and respected her. She didn't care that people would never look up to her because of her beauty or brains. Rather, she was very content knowing that there were actually people who appreciated the fact that she was fiercely loyal, dependable and trustworthy.

There was one exception to this rule though. His name was Ichigo Kurosaki.

They had known each since childhood but that was such a long time ago. At least to her it seemed that way. She vaguely remembered how Ichigo used to be nothing more than a crybaby who would cling to his mother whenever she defeated him in a match. In hindsight, she had every right to tease him for that but she never did so. She just couldn't bring herself to tease him.

Thinking back to those days though, always gave her mixed feelings. On one hand, she was happy because back then Ichigo used to be all hers. She didn't have to worry about sharing him with anyone else. Aside from his mother, she was the only other person that could make him smile. She was also the only person responsible for making him laugh so hard until his sides hurt. But when his mother passed away, he changed dramatically.

Several years had passed since her death but she knew Ichigo hadn't gotten over the death of his mother. No matter how much he tried to convince people otherwise, she knew he would never get over her death. There were times where she would try to understand what he was going through or how he felt, but she knew she would never know what it was like to lose such an important loved one.

Having never lost a loved one herself, she could only imagine how painful it must have been for him. How he must have cried and blamed himself for something he couldn't control… She understood that all too well but it was also a painful day for her as well.

How could she ever forget that day? After all, it was the day she lost him.

The Ichigo she used to know might have been prone to crying easily but that never bothered her much. She was willing to excuse his crying because while he might have been a thin and frail child, he always looked happy and smiled constantly when he was around his mother. Because of that, she couldn't hold his crying against him.

Everything changed when he lost his mother. The laughter and smiles disappeared and he hardly came to practice anymore. The few times she did get to see him weren't very pleasant either.

Whenever she saw him, he would do nothing but brood and sulk. Even worse was the fact that he hardly talked to her anymore. She hated the fact that she was left with such a sullen and solemn boy. Try as she might though, she could never get him to smile or laugh as much as she did before his mother's passing. And that's what hurt her the most. Knowing that he was hurting so badly and yet she could do nothing to help him.

On that day, she made a promise to herself. If he was determined to keep her locked out of his life then she would always be there for him. It didn't matter what sort of trouble he got himself into or who he decided to be friends with.

All that mattered to her was protecting him. No matter the cost or price, it was her job to make sure Ichigo would never have to experience such a tremendous loss ever again. But if that were truly the case, then why was she the same person while he seemed to be growing and maturing into a better person?

It was simple really. She stayed the same for his sake. She might have been able to fool herself into thinking that it was because she wanted him to have something stable and constant in his life. But deep down, she knew the real reason.

It was because she loved him.