Chapter 1 – Arrival
It was raining.
Millions of frosty water droplets fell from the sky, scattering all over the world. The ripples they made in the small puddles formed resembled the gleaming surfaces of mirrors, shattered over and over again into irreparable broken shards with each passing moment. The heavy downpour never ceased, as if the sky itself became a waterfall in the scant few moments it took for the storm to begin. Dark rainclouds loomed ominously overhead, a gray so deep that it was almost black.
"Well, haven't seen Karakura rain like this in a long time."
A taxi sped by on the slippery road leading into the small town, unobstructed by the rain in its mad rush. Its driver- a middle-aged man who was chuckling rather good-naturedly- smiled a little at the gloomy passenger sitting next to him.
"Lighten up, girlie. It's a rather nice place. I'm sure a time will come when you won't even want to leave."
The young girl scoffed lightly at his words, "Yeah, that'll be the day." she muttered sarcastically, turning slightly to look out the window again.
Light turquoise eyes peered through the storm to no avail, as the rain wrapped everything into a dark, impenetrable shroud. The girl scowled slightly, facing forward once more. Letting out a small sigh, she ran a hand through her short raven hair, which was fallen loosely around her shoulders Her hair flared out slightly in a layered fashion at the ends. Side bangs framing the sides of her face were tucked behind her ears for a few moments before they slipped back again. She wasn't exactly the prettiest little creature who was the epitome of beauty, but she was fairly cute and decent in terms of appearances.
"So, where are 'ya from, girlie?" The driver had enough of the suffocating silence and tried to make conversation.
"Tokyo." Her answer was short and abrupt, indicating that she had no desire to talk.
"The big city, huh?" The man chortled as he veered a sharp turn, "Why are you leaving then? Sounds pretty nice to me."
"My mother died last month."
He fell silent for a few moments at the unexpected answer before speaking again. "Sorry 'bout that, then, girlie. Must be tough on 'ya."
" We were never really close, anyways." She muttered as she fiddled with her black furred jacket for a few moments, "My uncle refused to pay the rent in Tokyo, since it was too high for his liking, so that's why I'm moving to Karakura." She admitted quietly.
The driver let out a low whistle, turning another corner.
"Harsh, girlie." he started to go slower, seeing many lights and silhouettes of buildings come into view.
"Is that Karakura?" she asked, unconsciously sitting up a little straighter.
He bit back a chuckle at her reaction, "Yup, that's Karakura Town, alright."
Ayu ran her fingers over the chestnut-brown briefcase she'd kept on her lap the entire trip. This was the place her uncle was sending her to, where she'd be spending the next few years of her life.
… The thought was rather depressing. Hearing the pitter-patter of the rain against the windows wasn't helping her mood any, either.
"We're here!" the driver leaned back in his seat, "Whew, that was a long drive." He commented.
"Thank you, mister." Ayu gripped her briefcase, the one containing all her possessions. This was it.
"You can call me Mr. Akiyama." He parked at an intersection near the sidewalk, "You should hurry up and find your new place before you get drenched in the storm here."
" It shouldn't be too hard to find the apartment my uncle rented, and it's still evening. I think I have enough time." Ayu opened the door and stepped out into the pouring rain, "Thanks, Mr. Akiyama."
Watching the small cab disappear around the corner, Ayu sighed lightly as she turned and started trudging down the street. She knew it was a bad decision to wear the gray shorts today.
The rain was colder than she'd expected, and surprisingly dense. It was like stepping into a blizzard of icy needles en masse. If she couldn't find the apartment fast, she'd most likely end up with a cold or sore throat tomorrow.
"I should've brought a map or something." she grumbled, kicking at the ground a little before she sighed. Again. "No use complaining about it, I guess."
Ayu was soaking wet by now, and chilled to the bone. Still, she kept her feet moving, one step after the other.
I'll be there soon...Eventually…
"Oh, Yuta, you had me worried sick!"
Curiosity piqued by the feminine voice that rang out, Ayu turned to look at a mother hugging a small boy across the street from her, no older than six years at the most.
"Mommy, mommy, look! I got you a birthday present!" the boy's cheerful voice was a sharp contrast to the thundering rain as he held up a beautiful tulip, whose bright, radiant colors surely didn't belong in this bleak storm. "I found this at the park yesterday, and I wanted to give you a surprise!"
The woman's eyes watered as she looked upon her son adoringly, "You didn't have to run out in the storm by yourself to do that, Yuta. Did you know how worried and scared I was when I found out you were missing? Don't ever do something like this again, you hear me?"
The small boy pouted slightly, "But... but I wanted to make you happy!" he insisted.
She gently kissed the top of his head as she gathered him into her arms, smiling. "You don't have to do something like this to make me happy, silly boy. Being with you every day is the greatest gift I can imagine. Come on now, let's go home and get you dry. Then, we'll make some hot chocolate, 'kay?"
"Chocolate!" the boy cheered, letting his mother carry him contentedly.
Ayu could feel a bittersweet emotion welling up inside her as she watched this scene unfold in front of her. Simple acts of familial love...
"Hey, what are you doing?" a male voice broke through the air.
Her head snapped up at the unfamiliar voice that sounded right next to her. Wait, did the rain just stop?
There was no time to ponder about that, though, as she spun on her heel, looking up and coming face-to-face with a scowling teen who had...
... orange hair?
Ayu blinked in surprise.
"W-what?" was the first thing she managed to stutter out.
"You're soaking wet and you've been standing here completely still. How long have you been out here?" There was a slight scowl on his face as he quickly surveyed in a swift glance.
"Um... I don't know... who are you?" She belatedly noticed that he was holding a blue umbrella, which was currently shielding them both from the pounding rain.
He was a rather decent-looking guy, she supposed, giving him a once-over as well. Toned muscles, most likely got into fights often. Calloused hands, in such a manner that obviously signified street brawls to the experienced eye. She had them as well.
"Kurosaki Ichigo." He raised an eyebrow at her as he introduced himself casually, "And you still didn't answer my question. What are you standing in the rain like a statue for? Are you purposely trying to catch hypothermia?"
"Eh, no. I'm moving in, and I got kinda lost..." she looked away in embarrassment, "I'm pretty sure the apartment is around here somewhere..." she trailed off.
He shook his head, "Ever think about getting a map?"
Ayu glared at him. Helpful or not, this guy was starting to get on her nerves, "Hey, I-"
"Do you have the address?" His sudden question took her by surprise.
"Wait, what?"
"The address. Do you have the address of your new place?"
Ayu fumbled in the pocket of her jacket for the slip of paper, rather daze-like at her stroke of luck. "Do you-"
"I live here." He took the paper from her and scanned it quickly, "Oh. You're moving into that part of town? Isn't it a little dangerous for a girl?"
"You're just being sexist now." Ayu made a face at him, "Can you tell me how to get there?" Wonder what he means by that?
"Just go down a few blocks, turn right, and keep on going until you reach the convenience store. Then you take a left, and go down a block or so." he analyzed her again, with a more calculating gaze this time, "Why are you moving there, though? It's the most run-down apartments squished together-"
"My uncle is a cheapskate." She muttered, turning and walking out into the rain to start getting to her new residence. It was starting to get dark now. "Thanks."
"Wait." Ayu stopped as she heard his voice again, "I'll go with you."
"... I'm not that bad with directions, Kurosaki." She frowned, "I think I won't get lost again, if your instructions are accurate-"
"That's not what I meant." He caught up with her in two steps, "There's a lot of gang activity there. It's dangerous."
"How very chivalrous of you to offer." Ayu turned around, "I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. After all, you don't grow up in the slums of Tokyo without learning a thing or two in terms of self defense." a small smirk graced her features before she resumed walking away.
There was a moment or two of silence before his voice took her by surprise again.
"Here."
Ayu blinked in surprise as his hand landed on her shoulder to stop her, and he held out his umbrella to her.
"Take it."
"What do you mean? Don't you still-"
"My house is really near." He cut her off, "I can go a few steps without catching hypothermia."
Without waiting for any sort of response, he stuffed the handle of the umbrella into her hand and ran off into the rain, in the exact opposite direction of where he told her to go.
"Hang on! I-I can't take this! It's yours! Are you even listening to me? Hey!" Her mind was still partly shocked at the fact that a guy, a stranger who didn't even know her, had given her directions… as well as his umbrella, despite the heavy storm.
His figure disappeared rapidly into the watery curtains of the storm, and Ayu could only watch numbly as he gradually faded from view.
Kindness. She'd almost forgotten what it felt like.
Ayu reluctantly -albeit gratefully- curled her fingers around the handle of his umbrella, and began heading down the street once more.
"Kurosaki Ichigo, eh?" a small smile, a real one, settled upon her lips for a few moments before it vanished as quickly as it came. But nothing stopped the warm whisper that escaped from her.
"Thank you."
The shadows of the street curled around her as she, too, disappeared into the rainstorm.
Chapter 1 - End
This is my first attempt at a fanfic, so please give me a much-valued opinion on how I did! Constructive criticism is appreciated ^^ Let me know what you think!