CHAPTER ONE: DEATH AND STRAWBERRY PART TWO
As Ichigo left the alley, heading down the main street towards his home, he thought about his current ability to see the deceased.
'My father, Isshin Kurosaki is the town's neighborhood doctor. My house is split between clinic and home. Sometimes he saves people's lives, sometimes he doesn't. Part of being a doctor. I don't know if it's because of that..but as long as I can remember I've been able to see ghosts.'
Ichigo walked up to the gate that split the house from the clinic and opened it, walking past and closing it with a click. Opening the door, he barely had time to announce he was home before a smelly, large socked foot came flying front the side and slammed into Ichigo's head.
"YOU'RE LAAAAATE!"
"GAH?!"
Isshin stood over his son, hands on his hips as Ichigo lay in a surprised heap on the floor.
"YOU DELINQUENT! WHAT TIME DO YOU THINK IT IS?! YOU KNOW SUPPER IS AT 7pm EVERY NIGHT!"
Ichigo sprang to his feet, rubbing his aching head as he shoved his face into his father's.
"IS THAT HOW YOU GREET YOUR SON WHO JUST PERFORMED A SERIOUS EXORCISM?!"
Isshin shoved his face right back, scraggly beard scratching Ichigo's face.
"SILENCE BOY! NO MATTER THE REASON, ANYONE WHO DISTURBS THE HARMONY OF THIS HOUSE WILL BE SEVERELY PUNISHED! BY BLOOD, MIGHT I ADD!"
A vein pulsed in Ichigo's forehead.
"WHAT THE HELL?! YOU CAN'T KEEP MAKING UP RULES! I'VE NEVER HEARD OF THIS!"
Isshin scowled.
"I see. I know why you're late. You just wanna rub in my face that you can see ghosts and I can't! I'm jealous!"
"SHUT THE HELL UP! IT'S NOT LIKE I WANTED TO BE BORN THIS WAY!"
Ichigo's two sisters, Karin and Yuzu, watched with varying expressions as their brother and father yelled at each other. Yuzu, the more caring and youngest of the three was holding a dinner spoon and wearing an apron, shaking her head.
"Stop it you two! Your dinner is gonna get cold!"
Karin held out her empty bowl, expression annoyed but unbothered.
"Just ignore them. They'll never stop. Another refill please."
Ichigo pointed angrily at Isshin as Karin started to eat her second bowl, eyeing something above Ichigo.
"FIRST OF ALL, THE RULES IN THIS HOUSE ARE WAY TOO STRICT!"
Karin lowered her bowl, licking sauce from her lips as she spoke up.
"Ichi-nii, you got another one on you."
Ichigo paused in his angry pointing, glancing up at a spirit above him. The ghost looked like a middle aged salaryman with glasses and a nervous twitch. He had his hands up in a cat like manner. A chain was connected to his chest, dangling around as he floated.
Ichigo started swiping at the ghost who avoided his hands, floating higher.
"Get out of here! Shoo! No matter how many times I get rid of you guys, more of you come to bother me!"
Karin leaned back, placing an arm against the back of the chair as she placed her bowl down.
"You can see them, feel them and talk to them. You're basically a high level spirit medium. Your troubles never fade. Must be tough having high specs."
Yuzu watched Ichigo swat at the ghost, tilting her head.
"You know, I'm a little jealous of Ichigo. He can see them clearly. I can only see a sort of blur. I wanna see them clearly."
She let out a little sigh. Karin snorted.
"Not me. I don't believe in them."
Yuzu frowned, knowing her sister could see ghosts a lot better than her.
"You can see them too! The only one who can't is daddy."
Karin's eyebrow twitched.
"Hmph. Whether I see them or not, they can't exist if I refuse to believe in them. They're annoying. Like flies."
The salaryman ghost glanced at her in shock before hanging his head and floating to a corner of the kitchen to pout.
"S-so cold of you…little girl."
Karin ignored him and grinned at Yuzu.
"Just thought of a new project! Come frolic with ghosts at the winds of early Summer! Our one and only brother will perform exorcisms! Twenty yen each."
Ichigo glared at her, eyes narrowed as he raised a fist and shook it at her.
"STOP TRYING TO USE ME FOR MONEY!"
Isshin lunged at Ichigo, grabbing his son's arm and twisting it behind his back.
"Aha! AN OPENING!"
Ichigo wriggled and squirmed, finally throwing his other hand up and punching backwards, causing Isshin to tumble backwards and roll into the wall. He was fed up. Why did he even bother coming home?!
"Forget it! I'm leaving!"
He stomped up the stairs and into his room, making sure to slam the door.
Yuzu hurried to the base of the stairs.
"Ichi-nii! Come back! Your supper! Aren't you going to eat?!"
Isshin tapped his two index fingers together.
"Oh…my son…you don't wanna eat your little sister's hard work for supper?! After all she did…"
Karin fully slumped on the back of her chair, arms crossed on the wooden top.
"It's your fault for beating him up, dad."
Yuzu's eyebrow twitched, and she whirled around to face her father, apron flapping.
"Daddy how could you?! Ichigo's been having a hard time lately because of the rapid influx of ghosts!"
Isshin gasped dramatically.
"HE TALKS TO YOU ABOUT THINGS LIKE THAT?! AND NOT HIS OWN FATHER?!"
Karin gave her father the fish eye.
"Who would want to confess things to you? You're always so dramatic and childish. Your communication skills are pretty gross too."
Isshin dramatically sobbed and flung himself into a large poster hanging on the wall. A picture of his late wife, Masaki was on it. Her orange hair just like Ichigo, warm eyes and a loving smile.
"Oooh…Masaki…boohoo…these days it must be adolescence. Our kids are so mean to their dear old daddy! Oh what should I do?!"
Karin glanced away in annoyance.
"First of all, you should take down that ridiculous photo of mom. It's embarrassing."
—
Ichigo sat on his bed, the frame creaking slightly.
"Why is my family just a bunch of freakish idiots…"
He paused, glancing up in surprise. Wind blew softly into his room. He didn't remember leaving his window open. A black swallowtail butterfly fluttered in. It's wingtips were blue.
Ichigo paled as a short dark haired woman in strange clothing and a katana passed through his wall onto his desk. She took no notice of him. The salaryman ghost had followed Ichigo upstairs to his room and was hiding behind Ichigo. The woman spoke as she stepped down from his desk lightly onto the floor.
"It is near…"
(END OF CHAPTER ONE PART TWO)
Author Notes
-Ichi-nii is their way of saying brother and Ichigo at the same time.
-Should I keep writing in parts or follow a manga's whole chapter? Because that can get ridiculously long.