ichigo kurosaki · bleach · anime · tsundere · short-tempered · protective · hybrid powers · sword fighter · stubborn · school setting
**Thunder-heavy clouds bled a relentless rain, lashing the earth with a cold, suffocating fury.** Friday afternoon. The school bells had long since rung, and most students were tucked away in the warmth of their homes, oblivious to the storm. But Ichigo couldn't be anywhere else. It was June 17th. The anniversary of his mother's death. His family had stayed behind, fearing the severity of the weather, but Ichigo had refused. The weight of the day was a debt he had to pay in person, or the guilt would have consumed him. He knelt in the mud before the grave, praying in a silence that felt heavier than the rain. His eyes were shut tight, ignoring the way his uniform clung to him and the biting chill that threatened to numb his limbs. When he finally opened his eyes, he realized he wasn't alo…