The Blue Moon

In Karakura Town, everybody believed in ghosts, demons and angels—except one particular orange-hair 15-years-old boy who didn't believe in these things, even though he could see ghosts. In fact, he had a secret. Only a selected few knew his secret, but the truth was this: he was a half-angel, possessing both angel and human blood in his veins. However, he didn't care about his angelic half and continued his life as a perfectly normal human, until God finally decided his destiny, which ended up turning his hybrid life into a living hell.

The orange-haired boy sat on a grassy hill that sloped down into the river bank where his mother died. Sometimes he really wanted to shout out the question that had haunted him for days and nights. Why did his mother die if she was an angel? Assuming, of course, angels couldn't die. He preferred to keep this question for someone who would hopefully give him a clearer answer. He'd suddenly had an urge that afternoon to look at the sunset from this hill, just like when his mother was still alive. It was only when the sun vanished from the horizon did he got up and went home for dinner.

'Yo. I'm home!' He called out at the door, and immediately ducked.

'You're late, Ichigo!' The body of his father Kurosaki Isshin flew over Ichigo's head and out through the open door. When his father landed outside, Ichigo swiftly closed and locked the front door and headed for the dining room.

'ICHIGO! OPEN THE DOOR IMMEDIATELY! You are an ANGEL! You can't do BAD THINGS to your father or you'll go to HELL!'

'Like I care if I end up in Hell,' said the teen, patting the dust off his grey high school uniform, and sat down to eat. Yuzu, his sister, ran to get the door for their father who was sobbing loudly out front. When she returned with their (still weeping) father in tow, Ichigo told her that he was full. She was about to protest when she saw that her brother's food had barely even been touched, but stopped when her brother threw her an apologizing look and continued to his room. Yuzu started to go after him, but Karin, her older twin sister with short black hair, stopped her. 'Leave him alone, Yuzu. He wants to be alone. Besides, I think he visited Mom today.'

'MOTHER, PLEASE GRANT ME THE POWER TO HELP AND PROTECT OUR SON!' yelled Isshin, now sobbing next to giant picture frame of a beautiful smiling orange-haired woman with sapphire-like eyes. 'HE IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE REBELLIOUS BY THE DAY, I'M REALLY AFRAID HE'LL BECOME A DEVIL SOON! I'M SORRY TO HAVE FAILED YOU!'

'It's completely normal to be rebellious. When he comes back even just a little late every night, you always welcome him by kicking him right at his face!' said Karin loud enough for the old man to hear through his own sobbing and yelling. 'And, second, you'd better get off of mom's frame before it's covered completely by your tears and slobber.'

Ichigo sat heavily on his bed, looking over his shoulder towards the full moon. Tonight was a blue moon. His mother told him that when a blue moon appeared, that meant an angel had descended from Heaven to Earth. It really didn't matter, since they took no note of his existence and neither did he. He went to sleep without changing his uniform, or knowing that this angel who had just descended from Heaven was going to change his life forever.

Not far away from his room, atop a telephone pole, a pair of dark-blue eyes was watching the young teenager.

'Kurosaki Ichigo, I've found you.'

Next morning, he took the normal path to school. Looking down at his watch, noticed he was a little early for school. He was shaken out of his reverie by calls of "Ichigo!" from behind him. Turning around, he was greeted with the scene of his two best friends, Renji and Rukia, both of whom had promised to keep mum about his secret.

'Morning. Eh, are you two fighting each other again?' asked Ichigo, looking at Rukia to Renji, who each had a bump on their head.

'It's this idiot's fault! Last night, he climbed up the tree next to my window to spy on me!' said the black haired girl, glaring at Renji who glared back.

'I wasn't spying! I knocked at the front door, but you didn't answer, so I started to worry. I ran to the yard to see if you were there, but I couldn't see, so I climbed up the tree and saw you listening to your goddamn iPod. You didn't see me, I knocked!' The two glared daggers at each other, before Renji broke his gaze away from her and looked helplessly at Ichigo. 'She just totally freaked out and shouted at me as she opened the window. When she grabbed me by the collar I lost balance and fell.' He explained.

'You mean we fell, you idiot! You pulled me with you when you fell! I'm not Wonderwoman, you know! And thanks to you, I got this bump on my head!' screamed Rukia, pointing at her injured head and back at the red-haired boy.

Ichigo let out a heavy sigh and looked back at his friends with a small smile. They looked like a married couple every time they argued. It was just a pity that Rukia had a mysterious boyfriend. Every holiday and birthday, someone always sent tons of stuff to her: chocolates, orchids, bracelets, rings, dresses—you name it, she got it. She had everything that would make even the most popular person at school envy her. But the question was who gave her these presents? Renji was like a sticky red bubble gum on her shoes; he followed her everywhere and phoned her every hour, but he never saw any man around Rukia's house. One thing was sure though, the guy who bought all those things for her must be rich.

The two of them continued to argue until the three of them reached school. In class, the female students were more excited than they usually were. When the trio went to their seats, they overheard some students say that there was a new teacher coming to replace their old boring history teacher.

'I heard he's really hot and a sex god. Oh I hope he's going to ask me out!' one of the giggling girls whispered.

'In your dreams, 'cuz he's going to pick me!' said another, which caused a bicker to break out between the two.

Ichigo and Renji were both curious about the new teacher as well, and started their own conversation about this new teacher, but they stopped talking about it when they saw Rukia shaking and becoming rather pale.

'Rukia, are you alright? What the hell is going on with ya?' asked Renji, now very worried. The girl didn't reply, just nodded.

Everyone fell silent when the homeroom teacher entered. After taking attendance, she told them about the upcoming field trip to Okinawa and the project they were all required to give to her after the field trip. She was just about to give them back their history test when one of the girls asked if the new teacher was coming. And when you speak of the devil, he will appear. The principal came in with a handsome young man with long black hair and dark-blue eyes.

'Everyone, good morning. This is your new history teacher who will replace for the rest of the year, Kuchiki Byakuya-san.'