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Ichigo slammed his door shut and stopped to take a deep breath.
Why did his family have to be so weird?
Crossing his arms, he caught a sight of the black characters encircling his wrist, spelling out a name.
Not just any name, but the name of his one true soulmate.
Absently, he traced the two kanji and the three katakana with his thumb.
He’d been carrying the mark for almost a year now; it had appeared on his fifteenth birthday, as it did to everyone.
He was slowly getting used to the mark, but sometimes, he was still startled when he saw those five slender characters.
Most of the time, he tried not to think about it. Curious though he was, at fifteen he was in no hurry to find his soulmate.
His weird family would probably send them running anyway.
And then there was the whole being able to see ghosts-thing. That would be a fun discussion to have.
A flicker of movement in the periphery of his vision jarred Ichigo out of his gloomy thoughts.
There was a black butterfly in his room.
Where had it come from? Ichigo scowled. He was sure the window had been –
Between one second and the next, the butterfly vanished.
A girl dressed in a black kimono and black hakama stood on his desk.
Ichigo gaped. Even for someone used to seeing ghosts, this was next level weird.
He’d never seen people materialise out of thin air before.
The girl hopped down and walked around his room, totally ignoring him.
Ichigo was having none of it. He gave the cocky burglar a good – and literal – ass-kicking, as well as a loud piece of his mind.
The girl was frozen where she’d landed on the floor, staring at him in utter confusion.
“You can see me? You kicked me?”
What the heck was she on about? “Of course I can see you,” Ichigo retorted.
His father chose that moment to barge into the room and made a huge fuss about Ichigo being too noisy.
He tried to explain he’d been admonishing an intruder, but the old man couldn’t see the girl even when she was standing right in front of his nose with Ichigo pointing at her.
Thoroughly annoyed, Ichigo kicked the old man out of his room and whirled around to face the girl.
“Normal people can’t see me,” she told him, deadpan. “I’m a Shinigami.”
Ichigo, naturally, didn’t believe a word of what she was saying, about Shinigami, evil spirits or Soul Society. What a bunch of bullcrap.
He was just about to kick the wacko dead girl out when she turned the tables on him with one move.
Using me sort of a spell, she bound Ichigo’s arms behind his back. He couldn’t move them an inch and was defenceless when the self-acclaimed Shinigami chose to retaliate and kick his ass.
Even in this new tight spot, Ichigo was mostly angry. He didn’t feel fear until the Shinigami pulled out her sword.
“W-wait…!” Ichigo cried, but when the sword came down it missed him entirely.
The hilt of the sword met the forehead of a ghost who’d appeared beside Ichigo. A bright light swelled in the room, then the ghost was gone.
“What happened,” Ichigo demanded to know. “Where’s the ghost?”
And so the girl launched into a lengthy explanation about Shinigami’s duties and Soul Society and two types of souls. It was a lot to take in – and the shitty drawings with bunnies and bears didn’t help.
“Hang on,” Ichigo cut in. His neck was starting to ache and his arms were going numb. “There’s a hollow around here? Right now?”
“Yes,” the Shinigami replied.
“Then stop lecturing me and go take care of it!” he shouted.
The girl looked away, her face grim. “I haven’t been able to sense its presence for a while now.”
“Why not? What’s the –”
A bloodcurdling howl interrupted Ichigo’s angry reply. He froze, his skin flushing with gooseflesh at the horrible sound.
But the Shinigami was still pondering about something blocking her senses.
“Hey, Shinigami! What the heck was that howl just now?”
“Howl?” she asked, turning to look at him. “Maybe…”
Just then, it sounded again; even more terrifying than before.
The girl stiffened and whipped around.
Without another word, she started to take off. She only stopped when Ichigo yelled after her.
“Where are you going? Was that noise a hollow?”
“Yes!” The Shinigami snapped in reply. “I’m going to kill it. Stay here!”
Ichigo wasn’t pacified by that. “It’s out there attacking my family! Undo this damn spell now!”
But the Shinigami appeared to be equally stubborn. “There’s nothing you can do, idiot! Be quiet and leave this to me!”
With that, she opened the door and stepped out to the hallway.
And through the open doorway, Ichigo saw his younger sister crawling closer, blood dripping down the side of her face from a scalp wound.
“Karin!”
“Good, it hasn’t come here,” Karin panted, meeting Ichigo’s eyes. “It happened so fast, got both dad and Yuzu… I thought I had to come warn… You need to hurry before it finds you. Run, Ichigo.”
Karin slumped. The Shinigami crouched beside her.
“It’s okay. She just passed out,” she told him.
But Ichigo wasn’t hearing the words. He was so mad his ears were ringing.
He’d had enough.
Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself up to his knees. Then, he began to fight against the binding spell, the muscles of his arms straining against the invisible hold.
“Stop!” The Shinigami shouted. Funny, she actually sounded alarmed. “Your strength won’t be enough to break the spell, you might –”
Ichigo bared his teeth in a grimace and then, roaring out his determination, his arms moved. Just a fraction of an inch, but that made him throw his power against the bind with renewed force.
The spell snapped and Ichigo was free.
He didn’t waste a second. He was moving, grabbing his baseball bat from the floor and running out of the room, past the stunned Shinigami.
Downstairs was a scene of devastation. His father was lying in a heap on the floor, blood slowly pooling beneath him.
And through a hole in the wall, Ichigo saw it. The hollow.
A hulking monster, with a masked face and a hole in its chest.
Ichigo nearly took a step back. This wasn’t what he’d imagined when the Shinigami had talked of an ‘evil spirit’! There was nothing human about that thing. It was an abomination.
He was actually shaking.
Until he saw what the monster was holding in its enormous hand – his sister Yuzu.
Ichigo charged without thinking. He barely managed to block the monster’s punch with his bat, but the force of the blow sent him flying backwards.
He landed roughly and had only got his bearings when the hollow was there, looming above him and ready for another strike.
He was sure he was a goner – but the Shinigami swooped in. She halted the attack with a graceful lunge, her katana slicing deep into the hollow’s arm.
Hurt, howling, the monster’s fist opened, and Yuzu was free.
Ichigo caught her and cradled her unmoving form in his lap.
“Yuzu! Are you okay?”
“Stay calm, boy!” The Shinigami was there, standing between him and the hollow, her sword at the ready. “The hollow hasn’t eaten your family’s souls yet.”
“It hasn’t? But you said they attacked people to eat their souls. So why did it attack my family?”
“Hollows are drawn to high levels of spiritual energy, but they also attack opportunistically.” The Shinigami paused. “I’ve never heard of a human who could see Shinigami or break a Kidou spell before… I’ve never heard of a human with so much spiritual energy. I think… it was looking for you.”
She glanced over her shoulder, her violet eyes grave.
Ichigo was sick to his stomach.
“He was after me? You mean my family’s all hurt because of me?”
The Shinigami turned around to reassure him – and the hollow attacked, sweeping her aside like a ragdoll.
That, to Ichigo, was the last straw. He glared at the monster and got up.
He stood before the hollow. His weapon was lost, but he still had his pride.
“You want my soul?” he shouted in a challenge at the hollow. “Then leave the others out of it and kill me!”
The hollow bellowed and started to charge forward.
Ichigo stood his ground, facing the monster head on and with his head held high.
But the vicious attack never landed.
The Shinigami had rushed in to protect him again, but this time, injured, she hadn’t been able to do much but intercept the attack.
Before him, she was torn by the hollow’s teeth.
A drop of her blood landed on Ichigo’s cheek, still warm.
She slumped to the ground and Ichigo yelled.
“Shinigami!”
“You fool,” the Shinigami berated him, so calm and resolute even when bleeding on the pavement from numerous wounds. “Did you think it would have stopped after eating your soul? It’s only a matter of time until we all become its food now I’m too injured to fight.”
Ichigo gritted his teeth and punched the ground to vent out the frustration. He truly felt like a fool now. Because of him, they were all going to die.
Staring down at his fist, the soulmark caught his eye again and frustration swelled anew.
What was the point of it knowing the name of his soulmate, if he wasn’t even going to live long enough to meet her?
In the corners of his eyes, tears were burning.
And then the Shinigami spoke.
“Do you wish to save your family?”
Ichigo’s head snapped up. “Tell me how. I’ll do anything.”
“There is a way.” The Shinigami slowly propped herself into an upright position, sitting against the wall of a house. Though every movement must’ve been agony, her face remained impassive.
She levelled her sword at him.
“You’ll need to become a Shinigami.”
Ichigo stared at her. “What?”
“I can use my zanpakutou to infuse you with some of my powers so that you will temporarily become a Shinigami. That would give you a chance against the hollow.”
In Ichigo’s chest, hope was stirring. “Is that possible?”
“I’m not sure. You have a powerful soul, but the chance of success is low. If I fail, you die.” She met his eyes. “But there is no other way.”
Across from them, Yuzu whimpered.
Ichigo squared his shoulders.
If they failed, he’d die.
If he didn’t try, they all were going to die.
It wasn’t even a choice.
“Gimme your sword, Shinigami,” he said, walking towards her. “We’ll try your plan.”
She staggered but managed to stand up.
She smiled up at him and it transformed her face. For a brief second Ichigo stared at her, transfixed.
“It’s not ‘Shinigami’,” she said, still smiling. “It’s Kuchiki Rukia.”
Ichigo’s eyes widened. A weird tingle ran down his spine as if he’d just been shocked with a thousand volts. Around his wrist, the five characters spelling his soulmate’s name burned against his skin.
His lips spread into a smile.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Kurosaki Ichigo.”
He saw the shock fill her face, saw her eyes dart towards her own slender wrist.
Absurdly, Ichigo felt like laughing. “Let’s hope this isn’t our last meeting.”
He reached for her sword with both hands. His fingers brushed against hers in passing, before he secured his hold of the blade.
Their gazes locked in perfect understanding. Her eyes mirrored his determination.
Ichigo felt at peace.
The sword plunged into him and pierced his heart.