Disclaimer: Bleach and the respective characters are owned by Tite Kubo.
Chapter 1: Where does the end begin?
It is midnight yet the sky glows red and the usually peaceful and boring small village is boisterous and active. The scream of pain and fear sears in his young ears. The smell of steel and smoke invades his nose as he feels cold thick liquid splash across his face, some even enters his wide agape mouth—it tastes metallic and disgusting. His young body feels numb and trembles as his knees finally decides to give up and he ends up kneeling on the dusty earth. He wants to throw up. He wants to faint. But his young body does neither.
His mind goes blank, not knowing what to do or where to look. Unconsciously, his shaky amber eyes follows the sudden movement abrupt movement at one side—a body, his mother's, falls down the ground with a loud thump as the familiar thick red liquid starts to pool around it. He could almost taste it in his mouth again, that metallic taste from earlier.
" I-Ichigo." He flinches as he unexpectedly hears his mother's shaking voice, gasping for her breath. " R-run." It is barely above a whisper as her hand tries to reach out to him with much difficulty.
Then follows the sound of a sharp blade cutting through the wind and through bones and flesh.
He watches as his mother's eyes slowly lose its lustre, hand gives a last tremble before going completely still. He wants to scream but his small voice gets caught in his throat as he looks up to find the dark figure who has delivered his mother's death—a person donned in all black but his face wearing a mask of white. He does not know if the red stripes on it are painted with paint or blood nor did his young mind want to figure it out.
The dark figure pulls out his sword from his mother's lifeless body on the ground with ease and steps towards where he is kneeling.
His mind screams in horror as he feels his heart pounding hard against his chest that he could hear it in his ears but still no sound escaped his lips. For a brief moment, he wonders if the other person hears the slamming of his heart too. But the thought is dispelled when the dark figure stood right in front of him. He falls back lower into the ground, almost lying on it. He knows he has nowhere to escape—like his mother, his death is imminent.
As his amber eyes unconsciously locks on the sword on the dark figure's hand still dripping with his mother's blood. He can feel his own blood draining from his face. The sword suddenly moves and its sharp tip finds its way in front of him, a millimetre away between his eyes. As though his body gives up on him, he feels all his energy leave him altogether.
He can't remember why but instead of closing his eyes as he awaits his death, he brings his young innocent eyes up to look at the mask of this dark figure that will kill him. But what shocks him even more is when his shaky amber eyes meets his murderer's— eyes like the midnight sky that gleams against the bright midnight moonlight. They look so sad and glossed with something fluid.
Against the village torch behind them, the murderer's eyes appear like precious gems that shines beneath the white mask in a way that mesmerizes—so much so that he has found solace in them. He lets out a sudden laugh at the irony of his situation.
The thunder suddenly rumbles as the gushing rain comes at them unexpectedly. Before the torch is put out by the rain, he notes how the dark figure looks up the sky—as though welcoming the rain—as it washes his mother's blood from him.
With the village torches now unlit because of the sudden rain and the moon hidden behind the dark clouds, only darkness remains.
" Ichigo…" He hears his name being called again. " Ichigo!" The voice repeats. It isn't his father's. The voice is low but has a feminine touch in it. "Ichigo! Wake up! You idiot!" Is the last thing he hears before he feels a sudden blunt pain in his gut. The pain is enough for him to force his eyes open.
" Midget! Quit being a barbaric woman, will you?!" He nurses his sore gut as he sends a glare towards the petite woman hovering over his lying form. He blinks his eyes again before looking outside the window and notes that the rain is still pouring hard. Maybe that is the reason why he had that dream, no…nightmare.
The scoff originating from the woman who woke him from his slumber once again pulls him back to reality. " Well, you looked constipated in your sleep so I thought I'd wake you up." He could tell that she is smirking cockily without even looking at her face.
Kurosaki Ichigo does not even take offense in her comment and lets out a sigh while pulling himself into sitting position, scratching his head in the process. " Step aside. I'm getting off the bed." He instructs her which prompts the woman to jump off the bed and head towards the door of his bedroom.
" Dinner is ready." The woman states and points to the desk in one side of the room. "I brought you water and towel. Wash your face and come down for supper." She orders before leaving the room completely.
Ichigo stares at the door until she completely disappears from his sight and shakes his head as he lets out a yawn, whisking away any traces of sleep. Then he does as he was told. It does not take long for him to come to his home's dining area where he finds his family in the dining table with food laid out and an extra person sitting in the extra chair.
" I'm so happy you could join us for dinner, my third daughter!" He hears his father's overly happy voice as he enters the dining room. " Make sure to eat to your hearts content. Today's menu is Yuzu's exclusive cream soup!" The eldest family member proudly announced.
" You're finally here, onii-chan!" He hears one of his sisters, Yuzu, greet him as the chestnut haired girl places down a bowl of soup on his usual place. She then turns towards their uninvited guest " Rukia-chan, would you like some bread?" Yuzu offers to the raven-haired midget who castrated him in his slumber.
Ichigo makes a beeline towards his chair beside Rukia and occupies it without a word.
" Yes, please." He hears Rukia reply to his sister who places a freshly baked bread on her plate. She murmurs Yuzu a thanks and then addresses him. " I thought you'll make us starve waiting for you." She remarks sharply before breaking the bread in smaller pieces and popping it in her mouth.
Ichigo rolls his eyes, picks up his spoon and scoops out the hot soup from his bowl. But he leaves it suspended in the air and regards the woman beside him. " Says the one leeching supper in my house." He immediately regrets it as another punch in his gut is delivered, sending him toppling over and out of his chair, landing on the ground. He glares at Rukia but before he can say anything, he is cut off by his other sister.
" Enough horsing around, Ichi-nii!" Says Karin, Yuzu's dark-haired twin, with a deadpan expression on her face. " Eat you soup before it gets cold." She then proceeds to eat her soup and asks for another serving from Yuzu who happily complies to her sister's request.
" That right, Ichigo!" His father, Kurosaki Isshin, joins in. " How can you be so rude to my third daughter?! You should be thankful that she volunteered to wake you up for dinner or else we would have let you sleep throughout the night!" Isshin, the village doctor, states indignantly.
Rukia lets out a snuffle and dramatically adds, " Thank you so much, Isshin-san. I am forever indebt when you saved me back then during that night. If it weren't for you kindness, I would have probably be watching over you all in the heavens right now." She adds another snuffle, covering her face with her hand. " So I completely understand it even if this scowling creature feels as though I'm bothering all of you. I would even understand if you send me out to the streets in the middle of the night."
Ichigo finds his father and Yuzu huddle together as they listen to Rukia's words with teary eyes.
" My third daughter!" Isshin wails. " Don't say that! We're happy to have you here with us! You can stay for however long you want. You can even stay with us forever! "
Yuzu nods enthusiastically to that. " I agree, Rukia-chan. You're family to us already!"
Tears come out of Rukia's doe-like amethyst eyes. " Oh. Thank you so much for your undeserved kindness towards me."
" Don't worry about it!" Isshin exclaims. " Eat your soup while it's still hot, my third daughter."
Rukia nods at the older male happily before turning her face towards Ichigo who was still on the ground, sending him a triumphant smirk.
' Oi! You're not even gonna try and hide that scheming face of yours?' Ichigo asks internally before shaking his head in dismay and sighs in defeat. He then pulls himself up from the ground and occupies his seat once more. He steals a glance towards the woman beside him who busies herself with her soup, acting as though she has not caused the commotion earlier on.
She is not part of his family. It has only been two months since that stormy night…
The harsh winds blowing against the windows making loud creaking sounds and the sound of the rain pounding against the house. That night's storm is unforgiving that none of the villagers dares to go outside unnecessarily. Yuzu and Karin settled to bed earlier on. His father is currently out to call to one of the villagers on the opposite end of the village who needed immediate treatment. It is up to Ichigo to look after his sisters and the house and protect them. He always hates nights like this…stormy nights…rainy nights…the sound of the rain…they always remind him of that night.
The fire in the fireplace sways along with the winds that manages to pass through the gaps of the windows. As the night wore out, Ichigo—who was sitting by the fireplace—was about to get to bed when he heard knocking on their front door. His face contoured into suspicion and his senses heightened. His father was not due to come back until tomorrow and the village folks knew that.
Ichigo grabs the sword hanging on the wall, something he had won in the sword competition he participated ages ago when he surprisingly defeated the notorious Zaraki Kenpachi. Then he waits for any movement outside the front door. He hears shuffling of wet linen and another series of knocks.
" Who goes there?" Ichigo decides to ask, inching closer towards the door.
" Ichigo!" He hears his father's voice from outside. " Ichigo, open the door!" Isshin commands with urgency.
Ichigo quickly follows the command only to find his father drenched in the rain, carrying something—someone in his arms. Without word, the older man moves past him and towards the treatment room in their house.
" Bring me blankets, hot water and towels! Also, wake up Karin or Yuzu and send them here!" Isshin barks from inside the room. " Hurry!"
The younger Kurosaki, though curious as to who the person his father brought in is, decides to do his father's orders first and to probe in later. This is the rare moments when their usually goofy father is serious and it usually means that a patient's condition is critical. Thus, Ichigo decides that delays are not an option. His twin sisters awoken from the commotion of their father's arrival immediately joins their father in the treatment room while Ichigo collects the materials his father asked and moves himself away to give room to the other three.
He does not notice himself dozing off to sleep in front of the fireplace and suddenly jolts awake at the sound of the treatment room door opening. His father emerges out of it, looking exhausted. Ichigo looks outside the window and notices that the rain has finally let up. His twin sisters trail behind the older Kurosaki.
" Thank you, girls." Ichigo hears Kurosaki Isshin tell his sisters. " Her condition should be stable now so I'll be fine on my own. You both go to sleep." Isshin instructs them. The twins, who are obviously worn out as well, nod wordlessly and head towards their bedroom. Isshin then glances at him before going back in the treatment room.
Ichigo pulls himself up from the couch and follows inside. His vision is immediately drawn towards the person lying peacefully in bed, the light from the candle dancing against her hair as dark as the night and makes her pale porcelain face glow.
" She's pretty, isn't she?" Isshin suddenly asks.
"H-Huh?!" Ichigo sharply turns towards his father and looks at him incredulously though he does not refute his statement as he agrees inside his mind. " Are you seriously saying that in this situation?!"
Isshin cackles before sitting on the nearby chair beside the basin of water tainted with blood. Ichigo then notices the used towels in another basin dyed with red blood. His perpetual scowl deepens as he shifts his vision back towards the person—girl—lying on the bed and studies her form a second time. She appears just about as big as his sisters yet she is bandaged all over. For some reason, his blood begins to boil as he clenches his fists tightly on his side. " What happened to her?"
The village doctor leans back, resting his head on the chair. " I found her by in the middle of the road on my way home, bleeding badly and drenched in the rain. I don't know what exactly happened to her but it appears to be an attack." Isshin stares on the ceiling as the shadows dances with the candle light. " She's badly wounded and they seem to be caused by a sword."
Ichigo's throat constricts all of a sudden as he turns towards his father. " Do you think it's…him?" The last part he almost whispers as he refuses to say the name out loud.
" Dark Shadow?" Isshin says out for him.
The young Kurosaki flinches as he hears the name from his father's mouth as his knuckles tighten, gnashing his teeth unconsciously.
His father shrugs in his seat. " Who knows." Isshin answers noncommittally before staring at the young girl he just saved. " But if it is indeed him then this girl is very lucky to have survived it." Finding his son silently upset, he adds. " Well, it is very unlikely though. If it was indeed dark shadow then the whole village would have been in chaos. He's not one to just attack one person when there's the whole village to throw in carnage."
The words his father has uttered does not bring any comfort as it is the truth. If it is indeed the Dark Shadow's doing, there's no saying that the whole village itself would have been turned upside down and the stormy night turned into a night of massacre…just like before. Ichigo shivers in his thought and shakes his head before looking at the girl once more. " Then it must have been the doing of the mountain bandits then."
" Who knows." Isshin says as he pulls himself up and picks up a long object wrapped in black cloth leaning on the wall in one side of the room. " I just found her half-dead and hugging this thing like she was holding onto life itself. This must have been very important for her." He comments then places it by the side of the bed. He then stretches his arms in the air and lets out a yawn. " I think I'll sleep on the couch tonight."
" Go to your bed to sleep, old man." Ichigo tells him, knowing how tired his father must have been. " I'll look after her tonight. There shouldn't be much to do anyway."
Isshin grins at him mischievously and nears him before whispering in his ear. " She may be very pretty, son. But she's still injured. Just wait until she gets better before you let out the heat."
It takes a moment before the meaning of his father's words sink in. Ichigo blushes and ends up punching his father in the head. " You idiot of a father! Do you really think I'm a pervert like you?!" He angrily exclaims. " Forget it! You pull an all-nighter until you drop dead with fatigue then!"
" Awww." Isshin pouts as he nurse his throbbing head. " You're so mean."
Ichigo lets out a frustrated sigh. " J-just go sleep. I'll take over from here." He says before throwing his father out of the room. " Honestly." Ichigo mumbles as he looks at the girl lying in bed and spends the night wondering what kind of misfortune she has undergone last night.