The rain always fades in the end; fades out of existence to give space to skies of blue and white and daylight.
The rain always dries in the end; dries up the tears shed and the blood paid to pave the way for joy and love and laughter.
The rain always dies in the end; dies in the denials of hardships and the ignorance of harsh pasts to bring bliss and hope and life.
The rain never fades; it greedily drowns the space meant for skies of blue and white and daylight.
The rain never dries; it cuts into the eyes and makes tears of blood fall to ruin the paths meant for joy and love and laughter.
The rain never dies; it festers and grows in pungent truths and flowery lies as it rots the futures of bliss and hope and life.
The rain never fades; the rain never dries; the rain never dies. Not for her.
The beginning always stays the same. Sometimes, it should never begin and others, it should always end.
Kurosaki Ichigo was born to Kurosaki Masaki and Kurosaki Isshin on July 15, 1986. Kurosaki Ichigo was born as the eldest of three... and Kurosaki Ichigo is born a girl.
Kurosaki Ichigo is still a sensitive child; she still cries easily; she still looks up to her mother as if Masaki is the only role model she will ever need.
Kurosaki Ichigo still has a problem at telling the difference between the living and the dead until her mother's murder. Kurosaki Ichigo still goes to karate at four years old and befriends her first–and only–friend, Arisawa Tatsuki.
It starts a bit smoother at the beginning, but Tatsuki still makes Ichigo cry ten seconds into their first match. Girls have to stick together in a boy-dominated dojo after all. And Ichigo is tough, despite being–in Tatsuki's words–a big crybaby.
For the next five years, Tatsuki has been Ichigo's only friend; and for the next five years, Ichigo has been Tatsuki's only friend.
Kurosaki Ichigo is still nine years old when Kurosaki Masaki is murdered by the Hollow, Grand Fisher, because of Auswählen. And the rain still falls since this day.
Arisawa Tatsuki helps her only friend every step after this day. Arisawa Tatsuki learns how to properly maintain a house with her only friend when Kurosaki Isshin can't bear to raise his nine year old and two 5 year old girls, because they look too much like Masaki. Arisawa Tatsuki helps teach her only friend's younger sisters how to read and write and count and helps teach them how to take care of themselves when their Onēchan has to go to school because they're too young to go to school. Arisawa Tatsuki helps fight back against the cruel people of Karakura Town when they attack her only friend just because of who she is and what she looks like.
Even when Arisawa Tatsuki makes new friends, and Kurosaki Ichigo makes one more, she still does anything and everything to help her once, only friend and now first, friend. She will do anything and everything to help her first friend, Kurosaki Ichigo. Someone has to protect the protector after all.
Caramel colored eyes stare up at the clear sky. The dark shadows below seemed to appear darker from the ashen skin stretched across almost gaunt cheeks.
A scowl grows on Ichigo's face. "...it's gonna rain..."
"Hm? Did ya say something Ichi?" Tatsuki tilts her head towards the 12 year old as she finishes her text to her mother. She finally glances up and looks over before she blinks.
"It's gonna rain," Ichigo repeats, tilting her head down with a slight sigh. The strands of her orange hair she didn't pull back into her ponytail fall in her eyes. Ichigo huffs out a breath and moves it enough to get out of her vision.
"It's so hot though!" Tatsuki frowns while she stares up at the sky. "Are you sure? There isn't even a cloud."
"Mm." Ichigo turns her head and tries to give the tomboy a smile, only for it to come out as a grimace.
Tatsuki doesn't say anything and gives the ginger a bright smile of her own before focusing back on the traffic light across the street. She huffs quietly and crosses her arms. Why the hell is the traffic light taking so long?! They're going to be late for school!
"We should've taken the shortcut," Tatsuki huffs, making Ichigo hum again.
The ginger rolls her head back to stare at the sky once more as she shrugs. "Yamachin is still bein' a pussy. I didn't want to risk either of us getting stabbed..."
Tatsuki huffs again with an eye roll and elbows Ichigo directly in her side. "We coulda handled 'im! He shouldn't be having such a damn tantrum... he got what he deserved an' he knows it!"
"He's a gangster, Tats," Ichigo speaks quietly, taking her turn to roll her eyes in subdued amusement, "gangsters get off on their warped honor and power trips."
Tatsuki snorts loudly, ignoring the dirty and judgmental looks they were receiving for their crude language. She nods her head in silent agreement to the statement, making Ichigo brighten up internally.
"Ah... it's about to turn green," Ichigo mutters while immediately focusing on the traffic light across the busy street. Tatsuki glances at her first friend–she can now say that since she's made more friends... since they both have‒but doesn't question the girl's weird intuition.
She's about to face forward when she spots a rapidly approaching blur in the corner of her vision. Tatsuki frowns and looks over her shoulder, spotting a familiar streak of pink hair in average black.
"Not today, you bitch!" Tatsuki sneers as she rushes forward, pulling Ichigo out of the way of their bitch of a classmate. A startled gasp leaves her mouth unbidden when she's suddenly pushed out of the crowd of waiting pedestrians and onto the asphalt, her head slamming back.
"Tatsuki!"
A hiss leaves the tomboy's mouth as she grabs the back of her head. She feels something warm and wet touch her fingers; oh, that fucking bitch!
"Tatsuki! Are you okay?!" Ichigo asks as she steps off of the curb. Tatsuki slowly sits up with a grin before opening her mouth to speak.
HOOONK! SCREEEECH!
Tatsuki snaps her head to the right and only sees gleaming metal and black.
Arisawa Tatsuki dies at the age of twelve years old by getting in the way of a stupid and jealous classmate trying to scare her only friend by pushing her into the street. Arisawa Tatsuki dies at the age of twelve years old by a freak car accident in front of her only friend. Arisawa Tatsuki dies at the age of twelve years old... and becomes a monster.
There's blood everywhere. It streaked across the asphalt like the tires were paintbrushes; there wasn't a head anymore; Tatsuki's karate clothes were stained red; the blood pools around Ichigo's shoes; there's blood in Ichigo's eyes, in her mouth. Tatsuki's blood is in her mouth.
"...Tats?" Ichigo can't hear the screams around her. "Tats..."
Why is Tatsuki missing her head? Is she hiding her head in her shirt? The other girls she befriended aren't around though, so why would she try such a silly trick on Ichigo? Why is everything so red? This can't be blood... this can't be Tatsuki's blood.
Tatsuki... Tatsuki. Tatsuki is... dead.
"...Ichi..." A black mass oozes out of Tatsuki's neck. White needles float above the surface, drifting into a smile. Ichigo hears a sharp wheeze pierce through the air like some kind of tearing metal. Bile travels up her throat and her eyes stare down at this... this monster stealing Tatsuki's voice. This‒this has to be a monster! This can't be... it can't be‒
"Ichi... we're gonna be late... we gotta get to school!"
No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no‒this‒this can't be Tatsuki. This can't be Tatsuki! This can't be Tatsuki! Tatsuki!
Black claws grab Ichigo's ankle. Ichigo screams.
Kurosaki Ichigo's beginning always begins the same. The birth, the protector, the death, the rain. What always changes is the middle... and the end.
This is the curse of Kurosaki Ichigo and Arisawa Tatsuki, and this is just the beginning.
Hey! I hope you all like the prologue to the new story! I honestly don't know how I feel about it... but I hope it was enjoyable nonetheless!
Anyways, I first had this idea a couple months ago, actually. When I first read "Curses" by DarlingAsta (on Wattpad and AO3), I was given inspiration... but I couldn't figure out which fandom to write this idea in. Of course, I thought of Bleach and Black Clover, because, well... it's obvious that I'm hyperfixated on those two fandoms right now. I decided on Bleach because, for me at least, I couldn't think of any other way to write this kind of fic other than DarlingAsta's take on it. Honestly, such a good fic and everyone (if you've watched/read Black Clover) should go read it.
Possibly really heavy dark themes ahead and warnings will be applied at the beginning of each chapter if they are needed. Currently, I have no plans on where to take this story or when/where it will end, but I am going to say it will probably be Canon Divergence. At the very least, there will be confirmed changes (obviously) from canon.
ALSO: there will be a bit of bashing against Inoue Orihime. DO NOT MISUNDERSTAND! While Orihime is not my favorite character by far, she still is a decently written character (my personal biases aside). It is only for the sake of this story that she is being bashed... okay and maybe I am taking out a few frustrations I have on the things I don't like about her, but wherever this story will go, I will still write her character as close to canon/this version of canon as possible.
I hope you all enjoy the story! Bye.
WhovianWhoudini