c1: My Name is... Kurosaki Ichigo
"Brother. Brother, wake up! You'll be late for school!" A small orange-haired girl in an apron hurried to the bedside, her short hair tied with tiny red clips. She carefully placed a neatly folded black school uniform on the chair and tugged at the sleeping boy's sleeve.
The boy's orange hair was far more vivid than hers sharp and bright, the unmistakable shade that always made strangers mistake him for a delinquent. His brows furrowed.
"I'm sleepy… stop it, Yuzu…" he muttered, swatting her hand away without even opening his eyes.
"Oh, I can never wake you up properly," the little girl pouted. Her name was Yuzu Kurosaki, the younger twin of the Kurosaki family. Unlike her sister, she was gentle and domestic, already wearing an apron because she had been helping with breakfast.
"You're doing it wrong, Yuzu!" A loud, dramatic voice exploded from the hallway. "A voice without love won't wake Ichigo! Leave it to Daddy!"
A tall man in a white doctor's coat suddenly appeared in the doorway, stubble on his chin and an over-the-top heroic pose. This was Isshin Kurosaki, head of the Kurosaki Clinic and a father who treated every morning like a battle shōnen opening.
Before Yuzu could protest, Isshin leaped into the air and launched a flying kick toward the bed.
"You're way too loud!" the boy shouted, finally sitting up. But he didn't panic. Almost instinctively, he tilted his head and twisted his torso. Isshin's black-socked foot sliced through empty air.
In the same motion, the boy drove his elbow backward.
Bang!
Isshin flew across the room, crashed into the hallway wall, and rolled dramatically down the stairs.
"As expected of my son!" Isshin's voice echoed from below. "Your reflexes are as sharp as ever, Ichigo!"
The boy froze.
Ichigo?
The name rang in his ears.
He slowly looked around the room. A modest bedroom. A simple desk. The familiar badge of Karakura High School resting near his books. Outside the window, the quiet suburban streets of Karakura Town stretched beneath the morning sun.
"Where… am I?" he whispered.
Yuzu dusted herself off and smiled warmly. "Hurry up, Ichigo-nii. Breakfast is ready. Dad made miso soup—well, he tried to."
She left the room, already used to the daily chaos.
The boy sat in silence.
Kurosaki. Ichigo.
His mind raced.
Bright orange hair. Delinquent reputation. A loud father who ran a clinic. Two younger sisters. Karakura High.
"This can't be…" he muttered.
Fragments of information surged into his mind not just memories of living here, but something deeper. He remembered protecting spirits as a child. Visiting his mother's grave every year on June 17th. Fighting delinquents not because he enjoyed it, but because they disrespected flowers left for the dead.
He staggered toward the mirror.
The reflection staring back at him had sharp brown eyes and that unmistakable spiky orange hair.
"I'm… Ichigo Kurosaki?"
Before he could process the absurdity of reincarnating into the protagonist of Bleach, a sudden presence brushed against his senses.
A gust of air swept past him.
He ducked instinctively.
Isshin had tried another sneak attack from the ceiling.
Without thinking, Ichigo grabbed the bathroom door and shoved it upward.
Crash!
Isshin smashed face-first into the wood and dropped flat onto the hallway floor.
From downstairs, another calm voice spoke while chewing toast.
"Honestly… you two never learn."
A black-haired girl with observant eyes stepped into view. This was Karin Kurosaki, Yuzu's twin cooler, sharper, and far less sentimental.
"Don't worry, Yuzu," Karin said. "They do this every morning. Dad's skull is practically indestructible."
Isshin groaned dramatically from the floor. "Karin, how cruel! Your father is wounded in the line of familial bonding!"
Ichigo stared at the scene in stunned silence.
This wasn't random transmigration.
This was the world of Bleach before he had even met Rukia Kuchiki, before Hollows invaded his bedroom window, before he ever held the oversized Zanpakutō that would change his fate.
Which meant…
Everything hadn't started yet.
He slowly walked downstairs and sat at the dining table.
"Here, Ichigo-nii," Karin said, handing him toast.
The ordinary warmth of the Kurosaki household filled the room. Yuzu fussed over the dishes. Isshin exaggerated his injuries. The morning sun shone peacefully.
But Ichigo's heart beat faster.
If this was truly the beginning
Then somewhere out there, in the unseen corners of Karakura Town, Hollows were already devouring souls.
And sooner or later…
A Soul Reaper would crash into his life.
"Xia Li, you called me… Ichigo-nii?" The boy pointed at himself hesitantly. From their earlier exchange, he had already pieced together their names one was Karin, the other Yuzu but hearing that familiar nickname directed at him still felt unreal.
The black-haired girl rolled her eyes. She was Karin Kurosaki, the calmer and sharper of the Kurosaki twins. "If I don't call you that, what? Do you want me to copy Yuzu and say 'Onii-chan' in a sugary voice?" She paused deliberately, then leaned forward slightly and said in an exaggeratedly sweet tone, "Ichigo-nii~"
The boy felt a chill run down his spine. Cold sweat formed on his forehead almost instantly.
"See?" Karin said flatly, shoving the toast into his hand. "That kind of fake sweetness only works for Yuzu. It doesn't suit me." She glanced toward the stairs. "And don't worry about that old man. Dad will bounce back in a minute. He always does."
As if on cue, a groan echoed from the hallway.
Yuzu—whose full name was Yuzu Kurosaki hurried to the table. Unlike Karin, she was soft-spoken and gentle, already wearing her apron from helping with breakfast. She carefully spread jam on a slice of bread and handed it to him with both hands.
"Onii-chan, you're still growing. You need to eat properly," she said earnestly.
He stared at her blankly before accepting the toast. Her warmth felt genuine too genuine to be some random illusion.
Karin smirked slightly. "See? That only works when Yuzu does it." Then she narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. "But Ichigo-nii… your reflexes really were different today. Usually when Dad ambushes you, you at least get knocked into a wall once. Today you didn't even get touched."
The boy stiffened.
Different?
Was it because he wasn't the original Ichigo? Or had some instinct already awakened?
He suddenly snapped out of his daze. Grabbing the two pieces of toast, he stood up abruptly, slung his black school bag emblazoned with the emblem of Karakura High School over his shoulder, and headed toward the door.
"I'm leaving!" he said quickly.
"Eh? But there's still time before class!" Yuzu called after him.
He didn't respond. He simply waved and stepped outside into the quiet suburban street of Karakura Town.
Inside, Isshin suddenly reappeared at the table in dramatic fashion, perfectly fine despite having been slammed into walls minutes ago. This over-the-top father was none other than Isshin Kurosaki, head of the Kurosaki Clinic and former Soul Reaper Captain though at this point, that secret remained hidden from his children.
Isshin slammed his palm on the table. "I know!" he declared with wild intensity. "Ichigo's in a hurry because he has a girlfriend!"
He rushed toward the large framed photograph in the living room—the picture of a gentle, dark-haired woman smiling softly. Tears streamed down his face.
"Masaki! Our son has reached that age!" he wailed dramatically to the image of Masaki Kurosaki. "Soon he'll be married! We might even have grandchildren!"
"Brother's getting married?!" Yuzu gasped, covering her mouth.
Karin pinched the bridge of her nose. "Dad, you're ridiculous."
—
Outside, the boy slowed his pace once he was several houses away. He turned back and looked at the modest home he had just left.
The Kurosaki Clinic sign hung clearly by the entrance.
"So… this isn't a dream," he muttered.
Orange hair. A ridiculous but strangely resilient father. Twin younger sisters named Karin and Yuzu. A deceased mother named Masaki. Enrollment at Karakura High.
And most importantly
He could see it.
Across the street, partially hidden near a utility pole, stood a middle-aged man in a suit. His feet didn't touch the ground. A length of chain roughly half a meter long protruded from his chest, the Chain of Fate swaying faintly.
A Plus.
A soul that had not yet passed on to Soul Society.
The boy's eyes widened slightly.
He remembered now. In the early chapters of Bleach, Ichigo Kurosaki was different from ordinary humans because he could see spirits clearly even before meeting Rukia Kuchiki. That ability had existed since childhood. It was the reason he once confronted delinquents who knocked over a memorial vase left for a ghost girl. It was the reason spirits were naturally drawn to him.
He exhaled slowly.
"No horns. No demons," he murmured. "They're not oni. They're souls."
If left alone too long, that Chain of Fate would corrode. The soul could transform into a Hollow.
Which meant this timeline was very close to the beginning.
Very close to the night when Rukia would crash through his window, chasing a Hollow that targeted his family.
The boy clenched his fist.
"Looks like my name now really is…" he said quietly, staring at his reflection in a nearby shop window spiky orange hair, sharp brown eyes, unmistakable scowl.
"Kurosaki Ichigo."