One
Ichigo stands at his mother's grave, his twin sisters clutching on to him on either side of him. Yuzu, is of course, crying. Karin is trying to put on a brave face but the ten-year-old Ichigo knows how hard it must be for her. He himself is feeling rather guilty. Today is the day they visit their mother's grave, June 17, one year after she died, but his thoughts are elsewhere.
He's thinking about his twin.
Ichigo and Hichigo were inseparable
When they were both very young, they demanded that they go to the dojo to the learn to fight. Their reasons were simple: to protect, to become strong. Over the years, the twins showed very different personalities, but there was a bond between the brothers.
Ichigo, the older twin brother, always meant well. He tried being nice to everyone, despite the fact he got bullied for his unique hair colour. He was generally there to keep his younger twin brother in check, because Hichigo was always fighting. If someone was mean to Ichigo, 'Shiro-chan-' would be there faster than you could say 'sorry'. He, too, was ridiculed because of his peculiar features, though most children were scared of the albino. It was his eyes that frightened them; black sclera, yellow irises. Hichigo hated being different, and because he was pale white all over his own family nicknamed him 'Shiro-chan'.
Having two sets of twins in a family was quite hard to handle. Karin and Yuzu came along a few years later and it was easy for the four siblings to start bickering amongst each other Ichigo and Yuzu were more easy-going, and preferred no conflict, whereas Hichigo and Karin were more headstrong and bold. Isshin and Masaki loved their children, but they could be a real handful.
The fighting started happening when the first set of twins were about five or six. Isshin and Masaki knew there was something going on. Ichigo would often come home from school crying, the younger albino twin clutching onto his arm with a stony expression on his face. Hichigo always had blood and bruises on him. Their parents inquired about any bullying, but neither of the twins would ever say anything.
Ichigo wonders why these memories are so vivid. His heart feels as if it is breaking in two when he thinks of Masaki or Shiro-chan. He misses them so badly. Why were they taken away from him?
And was it Shiro-chan's fault?
'Ichigo?' Karin whispers finally. He looks down to find her gazing up at him, tears shining in her eyes, threatening to leak onto her cheeks.
'Yeah, Karin?' he murmurs softly.
'When are we going to visit Shiro-chan's grave?' Karin asks him.
'I... I don't know.'
But Ichigo does know.
He knows Hichigo isn't really dead.
He knows the truth.