Life is full of good days, bad days, and alright days. The majority of life is mostly a balanced mix of the good, the alright, and the bad; sometimes, it's 50/50. No matter how it is, the good always overshadows the bad.

...that's what everyone always says and it's complete bullshit.

Kurosaki Ichigo didn't have very many happy moments in her life, that she remembers anyway. She was happiest when she was with her mother, she had been ecstatic to find out she would be a big sister when she was eight, going on nine, and she cried in pure joy at being able to hold both of her baby sisters.

A month later, Kurosaki Masaki, mother of three and wife of Kurosaki Isshin, died. She was killed right in front of Ichigo, protecting her. There were hardly ever any good moments in Ichigo's life after that.

Karin and Yuzu were barely a month old, their dad drowned in his own grief, and Ichigo... Ichigo was nine years old and was so, so lost. But, she's smart and she's a big sister and a protector.

It's a struggle and an almost impossible mountain to climb with no support, especially for a nine year old, but Ichigo somehow manages. It's a complete miracle, or maybe it's a sacrifice. She's raising her sisters as best she can—even if it's their dad's job, but she's long given up on him—she's scraping by with the bill payments with her odd jobs and gang activities, saving whatever she can for the twins, and she's tied number one in her entire high school with Ishida Uryū.

But, Ichigo... Ichigo is so tired. If she isn't taking care of her twin sisters, she's at school. If she isn't at school, she's studying. If she isn't studying, she's helping out the gang she unofficially, officially, joined. If she isn't helping out her gang, she's working odd jobs. If she isn't working odd jobs, she's taking care of her twin sisters.

16 years old and she's had nearly seven years straight of horrifically awful days. The only days that aren't horrible are the days she can solely focus on Yuzu and Karin. And the twins... oh she loves them to bits and they are so sweet to try and not need Ichigo as much as they truly do, but it breaks her heart.

They're seven years old and just started their second year of school. They should be worrying about making friends and learning how to write. They shouldn't be worried about their big sister or worried if Ichigo brings them home to only watch their big sister have a fight with the man who they have to call Dad.

Ichigo has no days off; no privacy; no peace and quiet. The twins try their best, but they're seven. And if Ichigo isn't exhausted for once , she's literally sick from the stress.

This. This is what her life is going to be for at least another four years. Running non-stop at rock bottom of a giant cavern with no way of climbing out. And, she knows the signs, being raised in a clinic for her entire life. If she continues down this path, she'll likely die from the stress before she's 20. And that is something she cannot afford. Not when the twins still need her.

Though... things aren't all that bad. Not anymore. All it took was a risky stop at a candy shop and now... now her days have just a bit of light in them. Enough to keep her from faking her own death and leaving this godforsaken town behind. Or ending it all overall.

It all starts with a man named Urahara Kisuke.


"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" Ichigo hisses around the piece of toast held between her teeth. She jumps on one foot to finally fully pull on her shoe before she fixes her sock.

"Fuck!" Ichigo hisses again and almost trips over her own feet when she stops to grab her side, unfortunately dropping her piece of toast. Hidden by her halfway buttoned shirt and skirt was her entire left side covered in black and blue.

"Fucking bastard! I should've ignored 'im! I don't do gang shit on Thursdays!" Ichigo takes a deep breath through clenched teeth before she starts to run again.

She had to finish making Yuzu and Karin their bentos—putting notes inside them that she's sorry for not walking them to school again—so she cut into her "getting ready" time to make the bentos. Which is why she's currently finishing buttoning up her shirt as she sprints down the street with her tie nowhere in sight, her skirt partially unzipped, and her bra flashing the, thankfully, empty street.

Ichigo pants more than she should be, checking the time on her watch. She hisses out another curse before picking up the pace despite the piercing agony in her side. She'll look at it when she gets home. It'll cut into her study time, unfortunately, but this fucking hurts.

She has 10 minutes until school starts and it takes her 20 minutes when just walking. Hikawa is a fucking bitch!

Ichigo sprints across the street, looking around with a wild look in her eyes in a half-hearted attempt to make sure no cars are coming her way. She nearly flips over herself as she suddenly stops in the middle of the intersection.

She trips over her own foot before she sprints left, slightly picking up speed when the street starts getting steeper. "Take this street, then cut through Fujiwara-san's store. She won't mind. Maybe. Please don't mind."

She'll help around Fujiwara-san's store for free if she does get mad. Hopefully she won't. Ichigo has a test coming up and will be spending any time she can lose on studying.

"Oh, no, no, no!" Ichigo sees the blue traffic light down at another intersection turning yellow. "Wait! Wait! Wait! Fuck!"

Ichigo stops sprinting midway, clearly not going to be able to make it to the crosswalk in time. She rests her hands on her knees and tries to catch her breath.

"...should have... never agreed. Pain always... makes me tired," Ichigo mutters to herself between her pants. Her stomach growls, making her groan loudly. That toast she dropped was her breakfast... fuck.

ding—DING

Ichigo opens her eyes as her breathing finally calms down and looks to her right. A father and his daughter walk out of a store, the father holding a heart-shaped box and the little girl skipping alongside him with a lollipop. Ichigo blinks before looking up at the sign.

Urahara Shōten. Boring ass name for a candy store.

She glances back at the intersection still a ways away. She bites her bottom lip when her stomach growls again.

"...if anything, I should get something for Yuzu and Karin. As an apology." Ichigo sighs heavily and hangs her head in defeat despite the warm feeling fluttering in her chest. Making her baby sisters happy is the only thing she takes any kind of joy in.

Ichigo stands up straight with a hand rubbing the back of her neck before she walks over to the store. A lollipop wheel of gradient colors sat in the left window display, surrounded by bouquets of carefully crafted chocolate roses, and exquisitely crafted chocolate animals were displayed in the right window.

ding—DING

The 16 year old walks in and almost immediately relaxes at the thick smell of chocolate. It nearly gave her a headache, but chocolate is her favorite candy. She breathes in deeply, closing her eyes.


A strawberry, large, ripe, and dipped in dark chocolate, sat lovingly wrapped in black and gold colored foil. A warm giggle fills the air, dissipating Ichigo's horrible day like a refreshing sunshower during a hot summer noon.

"One for you," Masaki unwraps her own chocolate covered strawberry with her beautiful smile, "and one for me. Now then. It won't taste good if you're still crying, sweetheart."

Ichigo giggles through her tears when her mother taps her nose. She leans back and waves her hand in front of her face.

"Mama~!" Ichigo whines playfully, already forgetting why she was crying in the first place.

Masaki giggles again and runs a hand through Ichigo's long orange hair. "Chocolate is always sweeter when you share it with someone you love. And don't you forget it, sweetheart."


"Ah—hello~! Welcome to Urahara Shōten! I am Urahara Kisuke." Ichigo opens her eyes with a jump and turns her head. "How may I be of service?"

A man, nearly half a foot taller than Ichigo, walked out from what was likely the kitchen. Ichigo nearly snorted at his incredibly traditional outfit matched with geta sandals and a bucket hat of all things. His hair, the pale blonde nearly white under the florescent lights, fell down to the nape of his neck, a small piece falling between his silver eyes.

Ichigo blinks before her ears slowly turn red, realizing she had been standing in front of the door like an idiot. She runs a hand through her shoulder length wolf cut before glancing around the shop.

The walls were a soft yellow with wooden panels and the floor was a black tile. There were all sorts of displays filling the space, from lollipops to fudge and even a small fridge display of cupcakes and mochi. The entire back wall was dedicated to chocolates and Ichigo spies the branded candy up by the cash register.

"I need..." chocolate covered strawberries.

Ichigo clears her throat to force the memory out of her head. "What kind of taffy you got? And I need caramels."

"Hm. You're in luck! I've just finished making a batch of caramels... but you don't seem like a person to enjoy either of those, miss! Are they a gift? For a boyfriend perhaps~?" Urahara asks curiously, suddenly bringing out a fan from his sleeve to cover his smile. Ichigo blinks before scowling, already disliking the man.

"The name's Kurosaki Ichigo, not miss, geta-bōshi, and why the fuck does some creepy old man like you care?" Ichigo retorts harshly. "I'm almost late for school, so do you got any?"

"My, my! Such a mouth on such a cute student~!" Urahara hums again before he waves his fan towards a small display of taffy. "My selection of taffy is over there. I'll go grab a bag of caramels for you, Kurosaki-chan!"

Ichigo rolls her eyes and trudges over to the taffy. She doesn't spare a glance towards any of the colors except the pinks. She grabs a handful each of the cherry and cran-raspberry taffies before shoving them in a small bag meant for the taffy next to the display.

She checks her watch and winces at the time. Five minutes now. Fuck her reminiscing.

Urahara walks out from the back kitchen with a plastic bag filled with caramels and tied with a golden ribbon. "Here we are~! I decided to grab an assorted bag of caramels for you, since you didn't answer my questions, Kurosaki-chan."

Ichigo scowls again and glares at the man before she shoves her hand into her bag. She digs out her wallet and takes out a ¥5000 banknote.

"Keep it. I have to go." Ichigo shoves the banknote in Urahara's hand before grabbing the bag of caramels. "And drop the fucking chan. I'm sixteen, not twelve."

Ichigo doesn't give the man another look, sparing it for her watch again. She curses loudly and is already tripping her way to the door.

Ichigo barely has time to call over her shoulder something ingrained in her mind since she can remember. "Have a good day!"


The day passed by slowly. No, not just slowly; it crawled like it was a person with broken legs trying to crawl out of a serial killer's basement to escape. It made Ichigo want to bash her head in with her textbooks. All of them, at the same time.

It wasn't even the teachers this time! Nor her classmates!

"I fucking suck!" Ichigo sighs heavily for the fourth time this hour alone. She stares aimlessly ahead of her, not paying a single ounce of attention on her teacher still droning on about some stupid math problem. There's about five minutes left of school, so she needs to hurry the fuck up.

Ichigo rests her chin on her hand, mindlessly flipping around her balisong underneath her desk. She got to school three minutes late, which, wasn't too bad; the teachers only glared at her for it, so everything was alright. Once she got settled in for another agonizing day at school, she started to feel... guilty. That's what made the day drag on.

She felt guilty for being so rude to geta-bōshi. Thinking back on their interaction, his questions and teasing shouldn't have warranted the amount of vitriol Ichigo has given him. He was just being a quirky—and more than a little bit weird—candy shop owner.

Ichigo definitely should have kept her cool; it wasn't geta-bōshi's fault. Ichigo slept past her alarm, had to cut time getting ready to make her sisters' bentos because like hell would she let them miss a meal, and she decided to go into the candy shop. Not only did she snap at him for simply being polite when he didn't know her name, but she also insulted him.

The school bell snaps Ichigo out of her thoughts. She flips her balisong close before hiding up her sleeve, sitting up from her slouch so she could grab her bag. She ignores everyone around her as they ignore her.

"Maybe I'll go tomorrow after some work and apologize." Ichigo shoves her notebooks into her bag without much care. Most of the class has already left as she's about to stand up.

"Hey, Kurosaki~!" A sweet voice interrupts Ichigo's musings and a well-manicured hand with green acrylic nails slams on her desk. Ichigo blinks slowly before she slowly looks up, expression blank.

Catnipp Candace in all her popular glory stood leaning over Ichigo's desk with her usual grin, ready to become Ichigo's daily nuisance. Her long green hair was curled and pinned up today and she had gone for a sultry look for her makeup, again. Which means she's trying to fuck Yasuda.

Her shirt sleeves were cut off, like always, half the buttons were undone to reveal her generous assets, and the midriff was tied to reveal her toned stomach. She tied her jacket around her shoulders to be "modest" while her tailored skirt was as short as ever and her white socks ended at her knees.

Candace obviously waits for Ichigo to reciprocate her greeting, but the 16 year old just stares at her in disinterest. About a solid minute passes of just silent staring, Ichigo appearing as bored as ever and Candace... Candace is becoming a ticking time bomb.

"When I fucking talk, you answer!" Candace explodes, like usual when Ichigo ignores her; which is any time she talks to her.

"Sorry. I don't quite hear you. I haven't been hearing correctly since lunch." Ichigo raises an eyebrow with a smirk. "The moans of a whore coming from the bathroom made my ears bleed."

Candace screeches and grabs the front of Ichigo's shirt, pulling her up to her face. Before she could even make a sound, Ichigo grabs the back of her head and slams it down into her desk.

CRACK!

Candace screams in pain as she falls back on her ass. Blood spurts out from her nose and through her fingers like a geyser. Ichigo calmly stands up, holding her bag over her shoulder.

"YOU—YOU FUCKING BITCH! YOU WHORE! YOU FREAK!"

"Nice chat, but I've got to go." Ichigo doesn't spare the wailing senior another glance and walks out of the classroom. The few students crowding the door part like the Red Sea as Ichigo walks past. She ignores the rampant whispers and the sound of running footsteps from the opposite hall.

She's got to go pick up her sisters now. They disdain staying at the after school daycare for more than necessary.

"Oh my God! Inoue-san, go get the nurse for me!" Ichigo faintly hears Ochi-sensei's shout. "Catnipp-san, what happened?! Here, let me see—"

Ichigo's mouth quirks up, a ghost of a smile. Fucking bitch.


With the imagination and stubbornness of every seven year old, Kurosaki Yuzu and Kurosaki Karin trust adults. They don't just trust adults, they hate them.

Adults think kids are dumb, they assume and judge when they have no right to, and they try and make things that aren't real, real. It's stupid and they're stupid.

Onēchan is the only exception, but Onēchan says she isn't an adult yet. Which is stupid. Onēchan is Yuzu's and Karin's adult; the only one they trust. So, she's an adult. A much better adult than the man they have to call Dad, anyway.

Yuzu and Karin love Onēchan. She taught them how to walk, talk, read, write, and count numbers. She even taught them how to buy things! She tucks them in bed and reads them her favorite stories and stories about Mom. She makes sure they eat every meal. She stays awake all night when one of them is sick. She makes sure they stay living under a roof, even at the cost of her own happiness. She spends her very little free time with them, even if she's barely able to stay awake.

Yuzu and Karin loves Onēchan. Which is why they hate adults. Because, adults don't like Onēchan. They judge her; bully her; insult her; hit her. They don't like her for her pretty hair and they hate how she's really smart. They don't listen and they talk behind her back, making her life harder than it has to be.

It's why the twins try so very hard to help Onēchan. If they help Onēchan, Onēchan can relax and be happy. It doesn't really work, but they won't give up. They're happy when Onēchan is happy and she isn't happy.

"Onēchan!" Yuzu squeals in pure happiness, leaping forward and easily being caught by her big sister's arms. They were the best!

Onēchan had really strong arms and they were long enough to easily hold Yuzu, Karin, and three blankets! They looked really cool too! They had scars from Onēchan's shoulders down to her fingertips. The burns on her fingertips, across her palms and the tops of her hands, and up her forearms were from self-taught cooking lessons and the small nicks on her fingers were from her practice with knives. She had many scars from getting hurt by other people cutting and stabbing her, and the three divots on her shoulders were from guns.

Her hands were really rough and showed how much Onēchan had fought and won, and yet they were still so gentle with her and Karin.

"Hey, Yuzu," Onēchan speaks softly, the rarest of her smiles lighting up her face. She glances up and frees an arm before Karin comes barreling into her.

"Onēchan!"

"Hello, Karin. Did you two have a fun day at school?" Ichigo smiles down at them both, her arms a protective barrier between the gossiping adults and them.

Karin blinks before she pouts. "You didn't walk us to school."

Ichigo blinks before sighing softly. She nods her head before pressing a kiss to Karin's forehead.

"I got called in last night and overslept. I'm very sorry. I promise, and I do mean it, that I'll walk you to school on Monday," Ichigo says, making Karin scowl.

"You still didn't walk us to school today, though!" Karin whines.

"Karin-chan!" Yuzu scolds her twin sister with the beginnings of a Sister Glare. Karin huffs and crosses her arms.

"Her walking us to school is one of the only times we see her," She mutters quietly. She sniffs quietly before turning her head so Onēchan won't see her tears.

Onēchan hums, leaning back on her heels. "Well, I knew it would be hard for you to forgive me, Karin... so I got each of you a surprise."

"A surprise?!" Karin and Yuzu shout at the same time, Yuzu clasping her hands in front of her and Karin facing the teenager again.

Onēchan laughs quietly before opening her bag. She takes out two bags, one clear plastic and full of pink taffy, and the other a black plastic full of caramels.

"CANDY!"

Karin grins brightly, her previous negativity already forgotten, before reaching up to grab the bag of caramels. "Thank you, Onēchan!"

Yuzu looks up at her big sister with wide eyes, watching as she becomes her prettiest with her rarest smile of them all. Her smile of pure joy.

Her gold eyes light up and crinkle at the edges, making her tan freckled skin glow. Her orange hair is cut in messy waves and half of it is pulled up into a bun behind her head to fully show her face. Her smile brings attention to the scrapes and faint bruises littering her sharp face. She was prettiest when she smiled and that makes her the prettiest on Earth!

"Thank you, Onēchan," Yuzu speaks sincerely, grabbing her bag of taffy. Ichigo runs both of her hands through her baby sisters' hair.

"...did you get something?" Karin asks with a blink.

Onēchan glances down at her before her eyebrows furrow in confusion, still smiling. "These were surprises for you. I don't need anything."

"Onēchan!" Yuzu scolds with a scowl, unknowingly so very similar to Ichigo's. "You have to get something too! We can't enjoy the candy if you aren't enjoying it with us!"

"Well, neither of you are going to eat all of these. That will be bad for your teeth. I'll just—"

"No! They're our surprises! You have to get your own!" Both girls exclaim, each holding their bag of candy close to their chests. Ichigo blinks at the possessive protest before huffing out a laugh.

Ichigo doesn't even bother to scold them for not sharing as she uses her knees to stand up. She holds out her hands for her baby sisters, still smiling.

"Alright. Let's go. I wanted to go by the shop again and apologize anyway. I was a bit... rude on accident," Ichigo admits sheepishly with reddening ears. Both seven year olds blink twice before turning to look at each other. Onēchan admitted to being rude? Out loud?

"Okay! Okay!" Yuzu grabs one of Ichigo's outstretched hands and starts running in the direction Ichigo had come from. "Let's go! Let's go!"

"Yuzu! You don't even know where the candy shop is! Let Onēchan lead, you idiot!" Karin shouts after Yuzu and Ichigo, running to grab Ichigo's other hand.

Yuzu looks over her shoulder with a pout and stomps her foot. "'m not a idiot... d-dummy!"

"Not true! And you're meant to say 'an idiot', idiot!"

"Yes, true!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yeah-uh!"

"Girls... what did I say about calling each other mean names?" Ichigo speaks with The Tone. Both Yuzu and Karin wince before quickly closing their mouths.

Ichigo hums, pleased, with a nod. "Good girls. Now, remember. Don't let go of my hands until I say so."

"Yes, Onēchan!"

"'kay!"


Another day of selling candy, another day of simple and benign—as well as dreadfully boring—normalcy. Simply put; a huge success! Even if it was so, dreadfully, mind-numbingly, horrifically boring.

Well, only 98 percent of the day was boring. The high school girl, Kurosaki-chan, had certainly been the most intriguing part of Urahara Kisuke's day. Being a candy shop, high school students are one of his most common customers, especially around the dreadful Valentine's Day and the somewhat more desirable White Day.

When he first saw her, he was quite struck by her unusual hair color. If it hadn't been for the people he had once been affiliated with, he would have immediately assumed she had dyed her hair such a bright and striking sunset orange.

Weirdly enough, it wasn't the craziest natural hair color he has seen in his 28 years being on this Earth. Kuna-san and Ushōda-san are the current number one contenders with their neon green and bright pink hair respectively.

The sunset orange hair still surprised him, and eased some of his inner disappointment. A young girl, around sixteen, clearly running late yet stopping by a candy shop of all places, he knew where this was going. A naive little girl wanting to buy the favorite candy of her crush, so she could confess during lunch. Or maybe after school.

Kisuke reluctantly admits that Kurosaki-chan's... belligerent behavior was an immensely pleasant surprise. It isn't every day Kisuke's analytical profiling of people and predictions of their behavioral reactions are wrong.

She doesn't have a boyfriend, and despite being rude, she clearly was simply trying to get to school on time while stopping by to get someone a gift. Most likely a group of friends. Though, she doesn't appear to be the socializing type... but the scrapes and bruises on her face, and the taped fingers indicate she is in some sort of physical activity. So, maybe a treat for her fellow athletes.

Speculations aside, Kisuke knew this would likely be the only time they ever met. It's highly unlikely Kurosaki-chan would return with how she reacted to Kisuke's simple questions, and teasing. It is a bit of a shame. She seems entertaining. Especially with how she seems kind, indicated by handing him a ¥5000 banknote when the candy she bought combined was only over half that amount.

ding—DING

Kisuke is brought out of his musings, brought upon by the boring sales and receipts he has to review for the day, by another customer entering his shop. He looks up with his quirky smile plastered on and his hand already flicking open his fan.

"Good evening~! Welcome to Urahara Shōten! I am Ura—" Kisuke's words get stuck in his throat. He blinks once before his smile widens just a bit in his genuine surprise.

"Wow! Onēchan! Onēchan, there's so much candy! How did you even choose me and Yuzu's candy so quickly?!" A little girl, appearing not much older than little Ururu, bounces up and down in her excitement, her coal grey eyes practically glowing. Her black hair is cut to her neck and there is a simple red hair clip keeping her hair out of her face.

"It's 'Yuzu an' I's'," Another little girl, just as excited, corrects the first one with bright amber eyes. Her chin-length hair is almost strawberry blonde and is styled into two low pigtails with a strawberry clip on the left side.

"It's the same thing, Yuzu!"

"It's not proper, though."

"You're not proper!"

"Well, you aren't nice, Karin-chan!"

"Girls," Kurosaki-chan sighs softly with a small look. Both girls listen to her tone and stop their argument before it could get physical.

"Hello~ Kurosaki-chan~! I never expected you to come back!" Kisuke gives a dramatic bow before covering his smile with his fan. "Welcome back to the Urahara Shōten, how may I be of service?"

Kurosaki-chan smiles, albeit with more exhaustion than a teenager should have, and scratches the back of her neck. "These two absolutely refuse to eat their candy unless I get some too, so I'm back."

"No, you have to have surprise candy, not normal candy!" The blonde little girl exclaims with a pout. Kisuke blinks as Kurosaki-chan's smile becomes lights up in her joy.

"Of course, of course. What Yuzu says." The little girl—Yuzu—lights up like a Christmas tree when the orange-haired teenager places a hand on her head.

"Well, the Urahara Shōten is the best place to find surprise candy for all occasions!" Kisuke takes off his bucket hat to place it over his heart, giving the two girls a bow. "I am Urahara Kisuke, the owner of this shop, and as the humble shop owner, how may I be of service...?"

"Kurosaki Yuzu!" The jovial little girl exclaims with a beaming grin.

The black-haired little girl narrows her eyes at Kisuke before huffing and crosses her arms. "Kurosaki Karin."

Smart girl, being suspicious of a quirky candy shop owner. Yuzu, isn't exactly oblivious either if her unblinking eyes are any indication of her more hidden suspicion.

Kurosaki-chan chuckles before she ruffles both of the girls' hair. "Alright, alright. We have to get home soon so I can start dinner, so go on. Me and geta-bōshi have something to talk about."

"It's 'geta-bōshi and I', Onēchan!" Yuzu states, making Kurosaki-chan smile with an amused huff. She nods her head before lightly pushing the girl towards the candy displays.

Onēchan, hmm? So, the candy was for them. An expected outcome... but Kurosaki-chan doesn't act too much like a big sister. Well, she could be a private person and doesn't really speak up about being a big sister...

"Let's get her some taffy!" Yuzu exclaims, snapping Kisuke out of his musings, before she grabs Karin's hand and runs over to the taffy display.

Karin scoffs loudly before she pulls Yuzu to the chocolate wall instead. "You idiot! Onēchan loves chocolate the best!"

Kurosaki-chan, like what any protective big sibling would do, watches her little sisters for a few more moments before focusing on the candy shop owner. Kisuke watches in hidden amusement when her ears start to turn red.

"I... wanted to apologize for being so rude earlier today," The words are slow and somewhat awkward, like Kurosaki-chan hardly ever apologizes for being rude. Her words are genuine though, and Kisuke cannot spot a lie in her body language.

"Oh, it's quite alright, Kurosaki-chan. I know how my teasing can come across, and some people simply react... explosively to interrogative questions like those." Kisuke waves off the apology with a wave of his fan. Kurosaki-chan snorts quietly, but doesn't voice her comments. Probably along the lines of, 'no shit Sherlock', but Kisuke isn't a mind reader.

"...the candy were gifts for those two gremlins, obviously," Kurosaki-chan smiles up at Kisuke, amusement making her eyes glitter, "and no. I don't have time for a boyfriend. Boys are stupid and I don't have nearly enough free time or any fucks to spare to deal with stupidity."

"Harsh words... a bad experience?" Kisuke implores with a quirky smile. Ichigo barks out a laugh before grinning widely.

"And you haven't?" Ichigo shoves her hands into her skirt pockets.

Kisuke hums and hides the lower half of his face with his fan. "An old man like me experiencing the immature and prepubescent behavior of the newer generation? I haven't heard such a thing happening!"

Kurosaki-chan laughs, and laughs genuinely. Her head tilts back and her eyes crinkle at the edges in her genuine amusement. She opens her mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by a black blur barreling right into her side. Kisuke is quietly impressed by her exceptional balance; she didn't even take a step to brace herself.

"Onēchan! Onēchan! We found your surprise candy!" Karin exclaims loudly in excitement, no longer suspicious of Kisuke or simply forgetting about her earlier suspicion. Young children tend to forget about their own emotions quite easily.

Kurosaki-chan smiles softly and crouches down to be eye level with Karin while Yuzu runs up with something held behind her back. "That fast, huh? So, what'd you two get me?"

Yuzu and Karin devolve into giggles before Yuzu reveals what they had chosen. Kurosaki-chan's expression immediately goes pale before she sucks in a sharp breath.

Kisuke narrows his eyes at the unexpected reaction to a box of chocolate covered strawberries. She looks... haunted.

Kurosaki-chan swallows before forcing a smile on her face, rapidly blinking to keep her tears at bay. She clears her throat and runs her fingers through Karin's hair before leaning down to kiss Yuzu's head.

"...you two—you both chose well," Kurosaki-chan speaks softly, clearly trying her best to appear happy.

"Onēchan always said that her and Mama would eat these together! They're her favorite!" Yuzu states with a bright smile, ignorant of her big sister's flinch. Kisuke smiles down at the blonde girl, bending down to inspect the chocolate covered strawberries he had made during lunch. An unfortunate order someone had cancelled abruptly.

"Hmm. A wonderful choice as someone's favorite sweet. You know, they taste best when shared with those you love," Kisuke compliments, making Yuzu light up like the very sun and making Kurosaki-chan wilt away like a rotting flower. With the past tense and her reaction... the mother's dead, perhaps? It would also explain her protective nature over her sisters, or at least the small glimpses Kisuke sees. Yes, and it seems Kurosaki-chan blames herself for the death...

Kurosaki-chan sighs quietly and opens up her school bag. "How much is it?"

"Free of charge!" Kisuke answers immediately with a flick of his fan. He watches the teenager freeze before turning to glare at him with suspicion.

"No, seriously. How much is it? I'm not taking it for free," She retorts aggressively, making Kisuke's smile widen. Oh, how fun~!

"You aren't, Kurosaki-chan~!" Kisuke hides his smile with his fan. "With your more than generous payment this morning, your surprise candy has been paid for!"

Kurosaki-chan continues to stare at him with severe suspicion before glancing down at her sisters. She blinks before sighing quietly, a soft, but exhausted, smile growing on her face.

"Alright, now that the surprise candy has been acquired, we have to go home," Kurosaki-chan changes the subject, giving in to receiving the free chocolate.

"Onēchan! Can I help? Can I? I wanna help cook!" Yuzu exclaims with bright eyes. Kurosaki-chan laughs quietly before running her fingers through her little sister's hair.

"Not today. I'm frying fish." Kurosaki-chan looks up at Kisuke and gives him a smile. "Thank you, geta-bōshi."

"Oh, there's no need for that, Kurosaki-chan~! Making someone's day with candy is what I strive for!" Kisuke states with a wave of his fan. Kurosaki-chan raises an eyebrow before stifling a chuckle.

She looks down at her sisters and places her hands on their heads. "Girls, what do we say?"

"Thank you, geta-bōshi-san!" Yuzu gives the candy shop owner a big bow in her excitement before rushing towards the front door. Karin glares up at him, still suspicious before huffing.

"Thanks, creep." Kisuke blinks at the blunt insult. Hmm. Certainly, she is Kurosaki-chan's little sister.

"Kurosaki Karin!" Kurosaki-chan scolds with a severe look, but the girl is already running after her sister. "Don't run off! Karin! That girl!"

Despite her horror at her sister's insult, the hidden smile and the proud glint in her eyes are so easily spotted. Teaching them to voice their thoughts and opinions without caring about societal expectations and standards. Kisuke applauds her.

"Sorry about Karin... and thanks... for the strawberries." Kurosaki-chan gives a small bow before she walks out of the candy shop. Kisuke lazily fans himself, smiling in amusement.

Kurosaki-chan is truly quite entertaining. He's pleased by this prediction being correct.


Ichigo nearly cries in relief. She practically slams her textbook closed before leaning back in her chair. Done. She's completed all of her homework. And it's only three in the morning.

"Sleep, here I come~!" Ichigo rubs her face with both of her hands, sighing heavily. She lets her arms fall limply over the chair and stares up at the ceiling.

The night was completely silent. No cars, no parties, no bugs taking advantage of the spring weather or rodents rummaging through people's trash. It was a peaceful quiet... Ichigo hated it.

Ichigo sighs heavily and pulls her head up to stare at the box sitting on the corner of her desk. For the past eight hours, it has basically taunted her. She hated it.

There's a burning in the back of her throat, making her clench her jaw. She doesn't remember—she can never forget—the last time she's had chocolate covered strawberries and—it fucking hurts—here they are, mocking her.

"You know, they taste best when shared with those you love."

Ichigo leans forward to place her head in her arms. A shaky breath leaves her mouth as she tries to keep the tears at bay.

"Chocolate is always sweeter when you share it with someone you love..."

Ichigo bites her lip harshly, making it bleed. She clenches her fists before sitting up, rubbing her face again. She stares at the chocolate covered strawberries for a long minute.

"...and don't you forget it, sweetheart." She never has. She never will.

A shaking hand reaches out and grabs one of the strawberries. Ichigo takes a deep breath and lifts it to her mouth, ignoring how hot her eyes felt. She pretends she doesn't feel the hot streaks falling down her cheeks as she takes a bite.

A broken laugh escapes her throat. She covers her eyes with a hand and sobs quietly.

They really don't taste good when she's crying. They'll never taste good again. Not to Ichigo. She hopes they never taste good ever again... she deserves it.


Hey! I hope you all like the first chapter! I'm actually quite excited about writing this.

Now, I've never written a slow burn that is planned to be this slow. Like, I'm talking, not even a kiss will happen until maybe chapter 25. This story is going to be that kind of slow burn. Well, I'm gonna try. I'm not the most patient person... so we'll see, lmao.

Anyways! I hope you all will enjoy the story! Bye.

WhovianWhoudini