Misaki Otonashi always knew she wasn't among the ordinary folk. From a very young age she considered herself to be among a different class of people, more like a different class of weird. She was not only different by appearance, but her likes, dislikes, and thoughts and behavior were different as well. For someone born in Osaka, she disliked going out. Mainly, she disliked shopping in particular, and it was something Osaka was famous for.
Central Osaka is often divided into two areas referred to as Kita and Minami, at either end of the major thoroughfare Midōsuji. Kita is roughly the area surrounding the business and retail district of Umeda. Minami is home to the Namba, Shinsaibashi, and Dōtonbori shopping districts. Osaka has a large number of wholesalers and retail shops, and many of them are concentrated in the wards of Chuō and Kita. Types of shops vary from malls to conventional shōtengai shopping arcades, built both above- and underground. Shōtengai are seen across Japan, and Osaka has the longest one in the country.
Misaki lived with her father, Akio Otonashi and elder brother, Minato Otonashi, in the district of Umeda which is the main commercial and central business district in Kita-ku, Osaka. Even though she lived in what seemed like the central for shopping and trade, Misaki was rather very down to earth and introverted. This behavior of hers began ever since her mother passed away. And it was a time she would never want to recall.
Misaki's mother, Mai, passed away when her youngest daughter Misaki was 10 years old. It was a tragedy that struck the Otonashi family, and it took a while for them to return back to their normal lives. For her husband, Akio, it was a difficult phase in his career, but his boss understood, and cut him some slack. For her 13 year old son, Minato, it affected his grades terribly, and the young soccer lover stopped playing permanently. And for Misaki, who was then very hyper and cheerful, she became quieter and withdrawn. Even though her mother would've wanted her to keep smiling and laughing like before, Misaki could only fake smiles and rarely laughed. It was after her mother died that strange things happened.
Misaki couldn't always see them. Ghosts. The dearly departed. They came to her, wanting to talk, and Misaki shut herself in her room and never came out. She was thankful it happened only at night, and if it happened in the day, she wouldn't know what she would've done. It wasn't something she could tell someone, and for obvious reasons they wouldn't believe her. For a ten year old girl, this was scary.
But as time passed, Misaki grew accustomed to those ghosts around her. They never spoke to her, as she pretended as if they weren't there. And for that reason, they left her alone. She would find herself staring at them when someone was talking to her, thus creating an impression that she was delusional. At first, this bothered her, but with time, Misaki didn't care.
She could hear them sometimes, at night. But after years of keeping quiet, Misaki was finally used to ignoring their existence. The ghosts, and the human-like people clad in black who took the souls away. Although she had seen this person in black only once, and she was certain she must've dreamt it.
Her classmates in school made fun of her for several reasons. One: Her hair was a deep scarlet, almost unnatural. And rumors were going around stating that Misaki had 'lost it'. She frowned and ignored them as best as she could, and she was grateful the teachers didn't think of her that way. It was because of her grades, as she was constantly the class topper. She wanted desperately to move out of the town, and for a 15 year old, she didn't like being made fun of. She wanted friends, a new life. Better than this one. And as luck would have it, her father got a job transfer.
To a town called Karakura.
Misaki had never once heard of the place. But she was happy, and she knew what she would do there. She would completely ignore the ghosts (if any) and be more cheerful. She would try and be her old self, and for the first time in years, Misaki smiled genuinely.
Misaki was definitely excited to move into Karakura town. At least there she would be able to make a few friends, and of course she'll hide her little secret from them so she'll seem more 'normal' to everyone than she was before. Sometimes she began to think that maybe she was just seeing things after all, and that maybe there were no ghosts and there were no human-like people running after them. She would finally begin anew, in Karakura town.
It was a 4 hour flight and Misaki smiled widely when she reached the airport. Her brother ruffled her hair, and Misaki grunted. "You ready?" he asked her, understanding why she was ecstatic. Misaki told her brother everything. He was her best friend, and he always listened to her. His features were similar to hers. Red hair, green eyes. He was taller than her, and probably even tall for an 18 year old. "More than I'll ever be." She replied, and held his hand.
Their apartment wasn't too big, and it wasn't too small either. It was of a moderate size, and Misaki loved it. Her room was painted a soft hue of rose, and it had a large window through which she would fit through easily. It had a table at the left corner near the window, and right next to that was a closet. To the opposite side of the wall was a bathroom, and her bed situated a few feet away from the window. She adored her new room, and Misaki immediately began unpacking.
As she was going through the stuff she didn't need, Misaki came across a small jewelry box, with the initials M.O printed on it. 'Mother?' she thought and Misaki opened it to find, a necklace with a bright emerald stone engraved as a locket. She couldn't open it, and Misaki assumed it couldn't be. She smiled, and wore it around her neck. She took a deep breath and decided to have a walk around her new neighborhood.
The neighborhood seemed as normal as any other, and Misaki already loved the place. It seemed peaceful and serene, the two qualities she liked in an area. She passed Karakura high school, which she had enrolled into, hoping she'd make friends there. The school was huge, almost bigger in size when compared to her school in Osaka. Then all of a sudden, the air around her grew heavy. As if, the oxygen level was decreasing and Misaki felt as if she were being choked. The sky turned a rich orange red, as duck rolled in. Misaki stumbled to her feet and she closed her eyes.
When she opened them, she saw something which made her scream. A monster, big and furry, and a tail that resembled that of a snakes. It had a white mask on its face, and a hole in its chest. It made a growling like sound and Misaki was numb with fear. She then acted on impulse and made a run for it, too shocked to scream, as no voice exited her throat. She then heard something from behind her. "Why are you running girl? You look tasty. And that spiritual pressure you have on you, it's delicious." So the demon could talk.
Misaki wanted all of this to be a dream, and not to be real. She could see ghosts, so this seemed real. She was then pushed forward and she fell face down, on the street. Misaki got back up, ignoring the blood on her scraped knees, and continued running. But where could she go? She took a left and Misaki gasped.
"A dead end?" She told mostly to herself. She closed her eyes, and felt a burning sensation behind them. She was crying. Misaki had a strange feeling like she was going to die there. She turned around, and saw the monster approach her. She backed away step by step until her legs gave in and she fell. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her hands were shivering and her voice lost, her knee stinging in pain. Her face was smeared with tears and sweat and Misaki prayed someone would help her.
She started to sob, and when she opened her eyes, she saw a golden shield like barrier in front of her. She could see the other side, but when she looked around, the barrier was like a globe, that surrounded her. And to her surprise, her knee was healing. 'What the-'she thought and her gaze shifted to someone in front of her. The beast was gone and a boy, her age stood there, his back facing her. He had a large sword on his back, and he wore the exact same black clothing as the one she saw in Osaka, and next to him was a small petite black haired girl in uniform. "There's no one here, so no one got hurt." The boy said, and Misaki was shocked. Couldn't he see her? "But can't you see me?" She said, and the boy quickly turned and looked around, but not at her.
"Who's there?" The boy said, and the boy readied his blade. 'They really can't see me?' She thought to herself, and she remained quiet. "I swore I heard someone." The boy said, and scratched his head. The girl next to him sighed, and said, "Let's go Ichigo, we're done here." And the two walked away. After a while, the barrier disappeared, and her knee completely healed, without a scratch. She ran home and locked herself in her room, ignoring her father who was yelling that dinner was almost ready, and wondered what happened in the street. Who was that boy? And what was that beast? And one thing Misaki couldn't at all understand, where did that barrier come from?
A/N - Hello my dear readers! This is an Ichigo x OC story I'm currently working on, and I hope this chapter wasn't that bad. The plot I have in mind is good (if I do say so myself). Hope you all like it! :)