Chapter Text
Ichigo had always had a normal life. He went to a decent high school where he got average grades, and did not participate in any clubs. There were a few people there that he could call friends, if he really wanted to, but he was not really close to them.
However, it was a step-up from his middle school days when thugs would try to beat him up because of his unusual orange hair. There was always something about him that others would find a way to hate. Having naturally bright hair made Ichigo stick out in any situation. Unfortunately, it was mostly just assumed that he was some worthless punk who didn’t give a shit about anyone. If only that were true.
His family was more or less normal, as well. Kurosaki Isshin, his dad, was a total goat-faced idiot who found it entertaining to dramatically kick Ichigo whenever he entered the room. Ichigo had gotten used to the sudden attacks, and in turn learned to dodge them. Isshin always complained about his moody, teenage son to a large-scale poster with a picture of Ichigo’s mom splayed across it. It pissed off Ichigo whenever he did that.
Karin, Ichigo’s tomboy sister, always told him off as well. She had a smart head on her shoulders, that was for sure. Not to mention, she could beat any boy her age on the soccer field. It was pathetic, really.
Yuzu was the only gentle one in the family, aside from Ichigo’s deceased mother. Also, she is the only family member who can cook a delicious meal.
Anyway, it was the same events that happened almost every day and every night. Occasionally, a ghost or two would follow Ichigo home. He had always been able to see them, despite their inability to realize that they were visible to him. Karin could sense their presence, as well.
It never occurred to him that this was not a normal skill to have because he was so used to it. It even got annoying sometimes when the ghosts would follow him to school and talk his ear off during a test.
Aside from that, Ichigo lived a very normal life. But lately, he had been feeling very bored with the whole scene.
There was one thing worth noting, however. The night Masaki, Ichigo’s mom, died he was there to witness it. Even though he was very young, and unable to predict what was about to befall her, Ichigo still blamed himself for her premature demise. The medical examiner determined that her cause of death was internal bleeding, but Ichigo still remembered her running out to rescue him. He thought he saw a lady jumping into a river, only to be swept to the side by his mother and pinned to the ground by her still-warm body. And maybe she had died of internal bleeding, but there was no reason for her to have, right? All Ichigo knew was that if he hadn’t run off, then she would not have died that day.
But in this stagnant life, Ichigo had always felt that he was not the same as his peers. Maybe it was because he witnessed his own mother’s death. But, Arisawa Tatsuki, a girl he had known since his childhood, had once told him that he had a strange energy surrounding him. When he questioned her, she merely stated that she had always sensed it, but it had never bothered her.
As he got older and entered high school, Ichigo realized what she was talking about. He almost felt like there was a buzzing just beneath his skin, as if his whole body was anxious to move, to do something. Like there was a purpose that he was meant to fulfill in his life, and the time was coming up for him to start something. But what?