Ichigo hums a small tune as she idly reads Life After Death: The Unknown Horror. She adjusts her leg again, making her slowly spin around.
"Ichigo? Are you here? Your sisters say you come here when you're practicing magic," Rukia calls out from the entrance of the abandoned warehouse. Ichigo whistles as she turns a page. She scowls and takes out a pen, marking something in the margins and crossing information out.
"Up here, Rukia!" Ichigo calls out as she lets her arms hang above her head to focus on the black haired female. Rukia snaps her head up and blinks rapidly at what she sees.
Ichigo hung upside down only by her leg wrapped around aerial silks. She wore a worn pair of black shorts and an ocean blue crop top.
"We're training today, remember?" Rukia speaks as if nothing was out of the ordinary. "And I want to finish where we left off with Shin'ō Academy."
Ichigo closes her book and waves her hand to float it down to the ground. She swings herself up and slowly releases the silks around her leg. She keeps a grip on the silks as she climbs down.
"I need to go by the store afterwards and get ingredients for dinner. Are you allergic to anything?" Ichigo asks as she lands her feet onto the ground.
Rukia frowns in confusion and shakes her head. "No. Why do you ask?"
"Aren't you going to stay for dinner?" Ichigo asks, snapping her fingers. The aerial silks fall unceremoniously, landing on the ground with a resounding plop.
"How'd you do that–I mean, I didn't realize I would be staying for dinner," Rukia quickly corrected her statement with reddened cheeks.
Ichigo smiles knowingly and grabs the book still floating in the air. She slips on her shoes and starts walking towards the exit.
"It's an advanced levitation spell. Since I don't have a wand at the moment, I've been practicing wandless magic," Ichigo answers the first question. "And you're already sleeping in my closet, Rukia. Guests in my house don't stay hungry."
Rukia flushes an even bright shade of red. She sticks her nose in the air with straightened posture.
"Well then, thank you for your hospitality," Rukia says without mentioning her technical trespassing. Ichigo chuckles silently with an eye roll before her casual scowl comes back when they exit the warehouse.
"You always do that, the scowl," Rukia points out, trying to copy Ichigo's expression.
"People never take the time to see my true self. If they don't want to, then why do I need to make it easier for them to see me?" Ichigo states with an amused smirk. Rukia looks up at the taller female with bright eyes and smiles.
"Then, they must be fools. Even as thick-headed as you are, you're pretty nice to hang around," Rukia teases as she clasps her hands behind her back. Ichigo rolls her eyes and halfheartedly glares at the disguised spirit.
She glances around and wordlessly casts a privacy charm around them. The air shimmers a faint silver before fading back to normal.
"What were you reading?" Rukia changes the subject, watching Ichigo hug the book to her chest. Ichigo holds out the book with a frown and opens it up.
"A highly misinformed book about the Afterlife. I was curious about what the Magical World thought about it. I'm disappointed," Ichigo glares down at all the blacked out text she had caused. An entire page was completely covered in ink.
"Can other... Witches and Wizards see spirits like you can?" Rukia asks slowly, finding the right words. Ichigo smiles and shakes her head.
"Some spirits choose to come Back and can be Seen by everyone. But, Witches and Wizards must be Blessed to See the rest." Ichigo brushes back some of her hair back as a breeze blows past. "It's mainly certain families that are Blessed with Sight and it's natural they won't tell anyone of it. Even the Magical World has their inhibitions against Seeing."
"Blessed?"
"People or families who were granted powers and abilities by Magic and its children. But, people can gain Sight by being in the company of those who are Blessed, as well as other abilities," Ichigo clarifies with a small shrug.
"At least, that's the belief in Wizarding Society," She quickly adds as an afterthought. It's still unknown to Ichigo if Soul Society knows that She still exists as its Creator and Mother, if they know at all.
Rukia nods slowly, staring off in thought. Ichigo perks up a bit at the attentive Shinigami, happy to have someone to talk to about one of her worlds.
"It's still hard to believe that Soul Society had missed an entire living race as old as Humans," Rukia speaks after a few moments.
Ichigo chuckles and nods her head. "There's evidence to suggest that the Wizarding World is even older, but that's not what we're meant to be talking about today.
"Yes! Shin'ō Academy!" Rukia brightens up with a smile when reminded of what she wanted to teach the orange haired teenager. Ichigo lets a soft smile pass her face as she watches the disguised spirit lecture about the school where she became a Shinigami.
If she ever gets the chance to go to Soul Society while still alive, Ichigo hopes to go and explore all the places Rukia tells her of. Maybe she could even sneak back some books with her.
Ichigo enters the classroom with Rukia and immediately feels something is off. She glances around, quickly searching for anyone missing. The residual flickering aura around Orihime makes her pause her habitual search.
"Orihime-san, hello," Ichigo greets with a small wave, walking over to the other orange haired teenager's seat.
Orihime snaps out of her dark thoughts with a start and looks up. She forces a smile on her face and waves back.
"Ichigo-hime! How's it going?" Orihime greets with a slightly forced brightness. Ichigo narrows her eyes with a small hum.
"...is everything okay?" She asks quietly instead of answering, making Orihime's smile freeze on her face.
"Of course! I'm just..." Orihime sighs slightly, her shoulders sagging. "I've been thinking of Nīchan recently..."
Ichigo's gaze slides to the area around the usually cheerful Orihime. The presence of Death faintly flowed around the teenager in stewing waves.
"Something deadly is following her," Ichigo thinks distractedly, watching the familiar presence flicker away once more.
"Ichigo-hime?" Orihime's prompting startles Ichigo out of her thoughts. The taller female smiles down at her friend.
"Would you like me and Rukia to come over? We can have a girl's night." Rukia looks up from her textbook at her name being called. She frowns and gives Ichigo a look before going back to her studying.
"Tatsuki-chan wants to hang out too! The more the merrier!" Orihime exclaims, back to her bright and bubbly self. Ichigo lets a genuinely bright smile pass her guard and nods her head.
"Of course. And please stop calling me that," Ichigo states as she starts to walk towards her seat.
Orihime smiles brightly at Ichigo's back. "Nope! You're always going to be Ichigo-hime to me!"
Ichigo groans slightly with a suffering sigh. Rukia glances up at her with a smirk and rests her head on her palm.
"What's wrong, Ichigo-hime?" The black haired female asks with a raised eyebrow. Ichigo glares dark promises towards the disguised spirit, making her laugh.
"No. I refuse," Ichigo says as she sits down. She crosses her arms with a huff as Mizuiro walks in with his usual mysterious smile.
"Hello, Ichigo-hime!" He blinks rapidly at Ichigo's loud groan, watching her cover her face with her hands while Rukia and Orihime burst into a fit of giggles in confusion.
Yo twirls their wand between their fingers with a heavy sigh. They watch the mindless colorful wisps float through the air from their wand, wishing for the day to end.
Always a boring day when no one wants anything–or anyone–fenced.
"–on ahead. I just remembered I needed to get something here. I'll meet you at your home, Orihime-san," The familiar voice makes Yo perk up from their seat at the register. They watch with curious eyes as the enigmatic orange haired female from before walks in.
She waves a group of girls off with a smirk before closing the door behind her. She wore Karakura High School's female uniform, clearly on her way to somewhere.
"Hello, enigmatic customer-san! How may I help you today?" Yo asks in genuine excitement. Finally! Something better than boring happens today!
The female's mouth twitches at the name before she walks towards the register. "I'm looking for a shop that sells potion equipment and ingredients."
"Unfortunately, the only place around that sells good quality potion equipment and ingredients is in Essent Alley," Yo answers after a few beats of thought. A true frown forms on the female's face before she sighs heavily.
"I thought so..." She speaks to herself before focusing back on Yo. "By chance, do you sell used wands here?"
"By the Ministry of Magic, all Traced used wands are only to be sold on Essent Alley and all adjacent alleys," Yo recites, still smiling cheerfully. The orange haired female tilts her head with thoughtful eyes before a sharp grin grows.
"And if I were to inquire about an Untraced wand?"
"It will cost 13 Tengoku for the necessary spells and three weeks for me to obtain an Untraced wand. An extra 5 Tengoku if you have a specific wand in mind." Yo returns the female's grin with a sharp grin of their own. "I will need a full name for insurance, and a Wand Vow that the Emporium will not be implicated in any magical incidents that you may or may not do with the wand."
The female smiles knowingly and pulls out her muyo wallet once more. She silently counts out 13 Tengoku before placing it on the counter.
"Kurosaki no Ichigo. And yours?" Ichigo asks with eyes glittering in curiosity and amusement.
"Isoyama Yo," Yo introduces themself with a smile. They swipe the coins from the counter into their palm.
"Your wand will be ready in three weeks, Kurosaki-san. Is there anything else you need?" Ichigo smiles at the question and shakes her head.
"Thank you," Ichigo says before leaving. Yo watches the female go with a smile of their own.
Her name sounded familiar.
Ichigo climbs up to the second story and knocks on Orihime's window. She smiles up at the annoyed Tatsuki.
"Ichigo, there's something called a door," She states with a scowl as Ichigo climbs in. Her best friend just smiles innocently, closing the window behind her.
"And there's something called a window, Tatsuki," Ichigo retorts before waving at a cheerfully smiling Orihime.
"Did you get what you were looking for?" Orihime asks brightly as she serves Rukia some tea. Ichigo hums in affirmation, taking off her shoes before walking over to the dining table.
"Not everything, but it was enough. I didn't miss too much, did I?" Ichigo sits down and crisscrosses her legs.
"You missed Orihime's newest recipe she'll be making tomorrow," Tatsuki answers as she sits across from Orihime.
"And her plan to race the world's fastest runner and win," Rukia adds with her sickeningly cheerful facade. Ichigo raises an eyebrow at the other orange haired teenager before smirking, completely unsurprised by her avid imagination.
"I'm sure you'd win, Orihime-san." Orihime giggles brightly at the statement and beams at her friends. The other females smile at Orihime's brighter mood.
"We'll win together after the picnic!" Orihime exclaims, making Tatsuki and Rukia sweatdrop while Ichigo just smiles. None of them were ever able to tell what goes on in the bubbly female's head.
"Any more confessions, Ichigo?" Tatsuki asks with a teasing grin. Ichigo glares at her childhood friend at the mention before rolling her eyes.
"You know the answer to that already, Tatsuki. Yes, unfortunately."
"Confessions?" Rukia questions in surprise, making Orihime hum brightly.
"Ichigo-hime's really pretty and the school boys made it a game to try and get her to accept one of their confessions! It's karate club's week, right?" Orihime explains before giggling at Ichigo's exasperated aura.
"Fortunately," Tatsuki states with a sharp grin. Anytime it was her club's week, it gave her plenty of excuses to beat them into the ground.
"A game? Is that... normal?" Rukia asks, focused on Ichigo. The orange haired teenager shakes her head with a heavy sigh, leaning back against the dining chair.
"No. Definitely not. Mizuiro made it a joke, but everyone at school took it seriously. I don't even know why I have a fanclub," Ichigo groans tiredly before sighing again.
"A fanclub sponsored by Shimizu-sensei," Tatsuki adds with a small frown, Orihime frowning as well while Ichigo scowls.
"Fucking pedo," Ichigo mutters under her breath. "Be wary of Shimizu-sensei. He likes the taller athletic types, but you'll still be on his radar."
"I don't believe I've met this Shimizu-sensei, is he–"
Rukia and Ichigo tense heavily at the piercing howl of a Hollow. Tatsuki and Orihime snap their heads towards the end of the room. A teddy bear suddenly falls to the ground, making Orihime gasp.
The bubbly female races forward. "Oh no! Enraku fell down!"
Ichigo looks over at Rukia when she hears rustling. She quietly nods her head, watching the disguised spirit pull on a fingerless glove.
"Enraku? Oh, how'd you get that tear?" Orihime asks, noticing the deep rip through the teddy bear's face. Ichigo snaps her head up, standing up from her chair when she sees blood drip from the teddy bear.
"Orihime! Orihime, get away!" Ichigo shouts urgently, rushing forward. A large hand thrusts through Orihime's chest from the rip. Ichigo curses under her breath and leaps forward to catch the other orange haired teenager.
"Orihime?! Orihime, what's wrong?" Tatsuki asks loudly, crouching next to Ichigo. Ichigo snaps her eyes up and tries to push Tatsuki out of the way.
Tatsuki screams in pain as one of the Hollow's talons shreds through her shoulder. Ichigo bites back a cry of her own, her upper back taking the brunt of the attack.
"Ichigo!" Ichigo just barely processes the shout before Rukia slaps her shoulder, forcing Ichigo to faceplant into the floor as her physical body crumbles backwards.
Ichigo bites down on her cheek as she scrambles up, her back screaming in pain. She unsheathes her nagamaki right before the Hollow attacks once again, blocking the talons.
"Ichigo, are you okay?" Rukia asks worriedly, crouched next to Tatsuki.
"Are Tatsuki and Orihime okay?" Ichigo asks instead, pushing her pain to the back of her mind.
"Wh-what's happening?" Tatsuki stares at Ichigo's limp body in terror, gripping her own shoulder as the blood falls.
"Ichigo... you're the one..." Ichigo snarls with her posture tense. She lets up her sword, twirling to the side to dodge the falling hand and swings the blade up. The Hollow leans back, its mask barely even chipping.
"You're the one to take Orihime away from me..." Ichigo's breath leaves her, watching in mounting horror as the Hollow lifts his head and reveals his familiar face. "To make her forget about her brother..."
"Inoue Sora..." Ichigo murmurs in shock.
"Ichigo! Focus! It's just a Hollow!" Rukia pales at Ichigo's realization. Ichigo whips her head around with a snarl.
"What the actual fuck is going on?!"
"Ichigo!" The Hollowfied Sora swipes Ichigo to the side, making her fly through the wall.
13 year old Ichigo shuffles down the stairs, attempting to rub the sleep out of her exhausted eyes with her bandaged hands. She walks past one of the school's old broom closets, stopping right past it.
Ichigo blinks rapidly and turns her head, staring at the broom closet. She turns around and tilts her head.
"Hello?" Ichigo asks softly as she walks towards the door. She stops in front of it and tilts her head even further when she hears the muffled sound of quiet cries.
The orange haired girl lightly knocks on the door before opening it. A 13 year old girl with burnt orange hair, brown eyes, and fair skin furiously wipes her eyes and hides her face. She looked familiar.
Ichigo stares off to the side at the slightly suffocating presence around the girl. Someone very close to her has died and she's still grieving.
"You're Tatsuki's friend," Ichigo states as the girl looks up at her. A bright smile suddenly appears on the girl's face, recognizing Ichigo.
"Kurosaki Ichigo, right? Tatsuki-chan respects you a lot!" The orange haired girl exclaims brightly, voice still hoarse from her previous crying session.
"I'm not good with names," Ichigo says, slightly apologetic with flushed ears.
The girl giggles wetly and smiles even brighter. "I'm Inoue Orihime!"
"Ah. The girl that carried her brother all the way to Oyaji's clinic," Ichigo thinks with a head tilt. She crouches down, staring into Orihime's eyes.
"Why were you crying?"
Tears suddenly appear in Orihime's eyes again, making Ichigo silently curse herself. She blushes bright red and slightly flails her hands around.
"S-sorry. I didn't mean to sound so blunt. I just–I just wanted to know," Ichigo quickly tries to reassure the girl before he starts crying again. Orihime giggles again, sniffing as she tries to stop her tears.
"I–I'm just thinking of Nīchan... he... he died a year ago..." Orihime furiously rubs her eyes again, fingers clenched into claws. Ichigo gently grabs her hands before she starts to scratch herself.
"He wouldn't want you to be sad, Orihime. He's your onīchan. It always hurts to see their younger siblings sad and they can't do anything to change it," Ichigo speaks softly, not breaking eye contact from the wide-eyed Orihime.
Orihime tilts her head, glancing between the other orange haired girl's eyes. "...do you have a big brother?"
"No," Ichigo smiles softly, thinking about her cute sisters, "but I am a big sister. It always makes me hurt when I see Karin and Yuzu upset or sad and I could do nothing to make them feel better."
Ichigo smiles even brighter, eyes shining a beautiful gold. She doesn't notice Orihime's silent gasp.
"Death isn't meant to be sad, you know. Everything dies, but that just means that everything lives again as something else! Live in this life, so when you meet your onīchan, you can tell him all about it!" Ichigo speaks genuinely, thinking of Her.
"But... I miss him so much..." Orihime states down at her hands clasped in Ichigo's. Ichigo giggles for the first time in a long time and brings both of their hands up.
"Then, let's be friends! If you ever feel sad about your brother, we'll talk about all the times he made you happy! If you want him to be happy, you have to be happy too! No one can ever stop missing the dead, but that doesn't mean when we think about them, it has to be sad."
Orihime giggles and squeezes Ichigo's hands with a faint blush dusting her cheeks and tears still in her eyes. "Okay!"
Ichigo slowly stands up from the street, blinking the memories away. She grits her teeth as she pulls back her lips in a snarl. Her hands tighten around the hilt of her nagamaki, blood flowing down her arms and hands in a steady stream.
She takes a few running steps before leaping into the air, feet gently landing on the debris covered floor of Orihime's apartment. Her hands start to shake at how tightly she holds her blade. The magic inside of her starts to thrum just underneath her skin.
"HEY, YOU BASTARD!" Ichigo shouts loudly, barely refraining from just releasing her magic. It starts to crackle around her, giving her an ethereal glow of silvery electricity.
"I-Ichigo?" Orihime asks weakly, sitting next to her physical body.
"You don't deserve to call yourself Orihime's brother! Look at you! About to kill her, about to kill her friends! You even hurt your own sister!" Ichigo snarls, her magic slowly swelling even more within. A faint static fills the air as tendrils of electricity start to appear around Ichigo's bloodied hands.
"You do not have a place to talk, Ichigo. You were the one to take Orihime from me! She is mine!" Sora shouts in fury and rage. Ichigo growls as she takes a step forward.
"Do you know why big brothers and big sisters are born first?! They're born to protect and care for the younger ones! How dare you! How dare you have the audacity to even lay a finger on Orihime with the intent to harm! Orihime is not yours! Not anymore!" Ichigo pulls up her nagamaki with a dark sneer.
Her cloak billows in a non-existent wind, revealing her overly graceful outfit for any kind of fight. The electricity around her gets brighter, and more chaotic.
"If you want to get to Orihime, you have to get through me first! Because, I refuse to allow a brother who's harmed their own sister to even touch her!" Ichigo pounces forward and attacks the Hollow.
Orihime was her friend, and Tatsuki's best friend. She'd rather die than allow them to be harmed anymore. It was a familiar feeling, the urge to protect so much that she would kill without a second thought.
They were her friends. Hers to protect. Hers to care for. They. Were. Hers.
Hey! Hope you all like the new chapter! Sorry for the late-ish chapter post, I've been incredibly busy. I thank you all for being patient with me!
Updates may be sporadic, but I'll try my best to update as soon as possible for you all!
I hope you all are enjoying the story so far! Bye.
WhovianWhoudini