2.
"You know, Tatsuki, if you make fun of that kid one more time, he might actually hit you," said Ichigo in amusement as she and her best friend Tatsuki were walking toward their middle school together. They had become even closer after Tatsuki had helped Ichigo through her father's death.
"Eh, I could take him," said Tatsuki casually. She had a short, shaggy, messy pixie cut of black hair, and wore dark eyeliner, cargo pants, tees, and arm bracelets - when she wasn't wearing her uniform. She was still fierce, tomboyish, and protective.
Ichigo was different. They both had black belts in karate, but Ichigo wore nice pencil skirts and blouses, her messy hair up in an elegant bun. She was quieter, more cerebral and organized, though - like Tatsuki - she was tough and she used her heart, her passion, to make decisions far more often than she used her head.
Ichigo, too, could be fierce. Just in a different way. Tatsuki had made it her goal in life to protect Ichigo; Ichigo had made it her goal in life to show Tatsuki that she didn't need protection.
"So what is it for lunch today - literature or poem?" Tatsuki began, but just then a large gang of boys with dyed hair and piercings stepped in front of them. They were smirking, in Ichigo's direction.
"Looks like we've got ourselves a Yankee," said the leader. "Great ass. How about we take you someplace else?"
Ichigo sighed. "Idiots," she said, deadpan. "My orange hair color is natural. That aside, do I look like a gangster to you?"
They flushed, glaring and scowling; the leader made to step forward - and Tatsuki got in his way. "Huh-uh. Nobody sexually harasses my best friend," she said, getting into a karate stance, giving the "come here" motion. "I'll take you on."
They howled with laughter. "One girl? Easy." And they charged. Tatsuki flew out in a flurry of punches and kicks. She felled the first two easily, and she was struggling with the third one when -
Ichigo arced out in a kick from the side and he fell over.
"Ichigo! You were supposed to stay back!" Tatsuki snapped.
"Hell no! Like I'd ever let you fight alone!" said Ichigo intently.
She and Tatsuki tag teamed against the remaining two thugs, and they were winning, but one pulled out a knife. They paused. He smirked and backed them up against the wall leading to the river, the other guy behind him.
"Now," the thug began, "what should I do with the two of y -?"
Then he was picked up bodily from behind, and tossed down the hill into the river with a splash. And he was not a small guy. Ichigo and Tatsuki looked up - and up, in disbelief.
A giant of a boy was standing there, in their school uniform. He had dark skin, messy brown hair, and brown eyes. "Yasutora Sado," he said stoically. "Nice to meet you."
Ichigo suddenly arced out in a kick, glaring in annoyance, and felled the remaining boy who'd been trying to sneak up behind Yasutora Sado. Sado looked around in surprise. "... He probably wouldn't have been able to hurt me," he said. "But thanks."
"Sado... sounds kind of like the Western name Chad," said Ichigo thoughtfully. "You mind if I call you Chad from now on?"
"Ichigo, you can't just give people a new name -" Tatsuki began in exasperation, but Sado interrupted.
"I am fine with it," he said.
Ichigo beamed. "Good!" she said. Chad gazed into her face for a moment and then nodded. They ended up walking to school together, and learned that Chad was half Mexican. He'd just moved back to Japan after his abuelo had died in Mexico.
So Chad became a distant friend, but then one day walking to school Ichigo and Tatsuki heard shouts and kicks. They ran into the alleyway - and found Chad standing there stoically, backed up against a wall, as the five thugs beat and kicked on him alone. He would not lift a finger to help himself.
Ichigo coldly picked up a fallen cell phone. "Hello, 911? I need -"
The thugs whirled around and snickered. "She's calling the police for herself and her friends -?"
Then Ichigo began counting thugs. "I need one, two, three, four, five ambulances at 6th and 36th please." She dropped the cell phone and crushed it under her foot.
Tatsuki, Ichigo, and Chad defeated the thugs together once more, though Chad would only get involved in the fight once the two girls were threatened.
"Why wouldn't you fight for yourself?" Tatsuki demanded after it was all over. "Those idiots were beating the crap out of you!"
"I promised my abuelo long ago," said Chad softly, "that I would only raise my fists in defense of others."
Ichigo stared at him sympathetically for a long moment. "Then we'll fight for you," she said unexpectedly. "And you can fight for us. We'll fight for each other - together. Deal?"
Chad and Tatsuki turned around in surprise. Then they smiled. "Deal."
And so a pact was formed.
They went to school that day, and each brought their separate friends group together: Chad brought in Mizuiro and Keigo, while Ichigo and Tatsuki brought in Orihime, Mahana, Michiru, Chizuru, and Ryou.
The two groups stared at each other across the distance for a moment, and then smiled and came together.
"I think I could get used to this," said Ichigo, watching all of her new friends, the big group, chatter amongst themselves. Then she laughed and ran forward to save Chizuru and Tatsuki from murdering Keigo for being a pervert.
Despite how much she didn't want to, Ichigo began to see ghosts clearer and clearer as the years passed. They began finding her, coming to her, asking her for help.
"You shouldn't spurn your gift," said her mother gently - her mother was her greatest advisor and helper; they assisted each other through living alone together. "You may be alive, Ichigo, but your greatest connection is to the dead. You should embrace that. I know it's what your father would have wanted."
Ichigo paused, and looked down somberly, remembering her father who always made her laugh. "Okay," she said quietly, nodding.
So Ichigo began assisting ghosts, helping them find peace. She also began volunteering and counseling at her mother's hospital workplace, working with the bereaved and the dying.
She would comfort the dying, offering sympathy, and save the dead, offering peace and serenity. Ichigo found the job rewarding - helping people, especially through death, became her calling.
Ochi-sensei, their head teacher, stood in front of their class on Ichigo's first day of high school. "The school and your classmates would like to know more about you," she said. "So please fill out these forms. You can turn them in at the box by the extracurriculars fair tomorrow."
Ichigo sat on her bed that night, looking around her bedroom. There was a checkered red blanket on her bed, band posters on the walls, a desk scattered with doodles and poetry, and bookshelves stuffed with books. A guitar leaned in a corner.
She pushed a strand of wavy curls back into her bun, and looked down at the form.
"My favorite foods are spicy food and chocolate," she began, scribbling. "I love classic rock music, poetry, books, horror movies, mystery shows, and I can play the guitar. I have a particular interest in Shakespeare."
The next day, she walked into school, turning the form in at the box and looked around herself. The hall was filled with various tables holding different student activities. Freshmen were going around, signing up for different things. Ichigo could see Tatsuki at the student disciplinary committee table, and she knew Tatsuki would also sign up for karate club. Chad signed up for music, and for animal shelter volunteering. Keigo and Mizuiro signed up for everything. Chizuru, a proud lesbian, was at the LGBTQ and feminist tables. Orihime, a sweet and daydreamy girl with a passion for standup comedy and long printed skirts and an eccentric taste in food, was at the table for student health counselors.
But what would she want to do...?
Ichigo signed up for karate club first, because that was easiest, and for book club and a writer's club. She wandered along the tables, looking at different things... Kendo club caught her eye. She'd always wanted to learn swordsmanship.
She went to sign up, and a voice said, "Hey. You're Keigo's friend, right?"
Ichigo looked up in surprise. A tall girl with a ponytail was standing there. "Hey. You're Mizuho," she said. "Keigo's older sister."
"That's right. I head kendo club." Mizuho smiled at her surprise. "Girls can head fight clubs just as well as guys, you know. Sorry about my brother. He's a dork."
Ichigo snorted and smiled. "But he's an endearing dork," she said in cheerful amusement. They looked over and saw Keigo shouting and gesticulating about something. "... Most of the time."
They chuckled.
"Well, Kurosaki." Mizuho clapped her on the shoulder. "I always like a girl who's a fighter. I'll see you in kendo."
"Oh, don't worry," said Ichigo, determined. "A fighter, I definitely am."
Author's Notes: Next chapter we arrive at canon.