The Blue Bird's Song {Bleach}

Prologue

An impatient sigh left the young girl's mouth as she continued to wait outside the house of her best friend. Continuously, she glanced from the house to her watch, tapping her foot in annoyance. It was eight in the morning and class began in half an hour. If they didn't leave soon, they would be late once again.

"Ichigo!" she yelled from the curb, "If you don't move your ass then we'll both be late." Not a second later, the front door opened revealing the orange haired boy. He ruffled his hair before shutting the door behind him.

"Cut me a break, will you?" he groaned, "Seriously Kiko, you need to relax." He joined her on the street and the two started to walk down the road. Kukiko glanced up at him before looking straight ahead.

"Says the one who always has a problem with something," she retorted with a smirk. Ichigo looked down at her with an annoyed look on his face. It was slightly different to his usual scowl that he was known for.

"I am not," he shot back. Kukiko sighed at her friend. She didn't argue and just stayed silent. There was never an awkward moment between the two even in the complete silence. The quiet was actually comfortable for the two friends. They made their way to school without another word.

When they arrived, the two made a sprint straight into the classroom. They had five minutes to spare before class began. Ichigo decided to take his seat and get his things ready while Kukiko started to converse with her closest girl friend, Tatsuki. The two went to the same dojo and were almost equal when it came to combat skills. Unlike Tatsuki, Kukiko didn't take it too seriously and didn't go to competitions.

When the bell rang out Kukiko, took her seat next to the window and stared at the sky. Birds flew across the window and she watched in wonder. She'd always had a love for birds; she also envied them. She wanted to fly through the air and be free.

She blocked out the sound of the teacher and focused on the outside sounds. The sounds of the children laughing, the birds chirping; she focused on all that seemed peaceful. She focused on the pure bliss of the ignorant people in the world. It seemed peaceful to those who couldn't see the other world within theirs; the spirit world. She wished she had the luxury of ignoring that second world she was all too familiar with but she knew that would never happen. She was too far in to escape it.

The peaceful sounds are interrupted by a sudden scream which is followed by a horrid howl. It was the howl of a hollow; a monster that took the souls of others living or dead just to satisfy its greed filled hunger. The scream was its new victim.

Being able to hear the horror and not do a thing took its toll on Kukiko. She wanted to go out and save whoever was out there. She wanted to tear that monster to shreds. No matter what she wanted to do she couldn't risk blowing her cover. That was one of the many rules that Kisuke Urahara made her abide by.

Kukiko was a fifteen year old student and a soul reaper who saved the lives of the innocent. She didn't ask for the life she was given though they were the cards she was dealt. She never complained but she struggled with her double life. She was responsible for the existence of both the living and the dead; a hard burden for a simple teenager to carry.

Every time she heard a scream she visibly flinched. Ichigo looked at her confused. Though he was able to see the weak spirits he had never heard or seen a hollow in his lifetime. He didn't know what she was hearing; he thought that she was having thoughts to the night of her parents' deaths just as he did. He gave her a look of sympathy before looking back at the board at the front of the classroom.

The final scream rang out and all went silent in Kukiko' mind. She closed her eyes in relief that the horror had stopped but it haunted her that it was at the cost of one's existence. She would have to avenge the soul later. For now she lifted her head and focused on the teacher's lesson.