1.) True Colors

Up until he was 13 Ichigo had believed that seeing ghosts was going to be the weirdest thing that ever occurred to him.

But then he met a man that called himself checkerface.

He was a weird man that made every cell in Ichigo's veins freeze in their tracks. Checkerface had approached him and put a hand on Ichigo's shoulder, making Ichigo feel something crawl right underneath the surface of his skin.

A bright glow came from the man's pocket and he watched as Checkerface reached into and pulled out a glowing orange orb.

He watched as the man held it over Ichigo's chest, and orange wisps of what looked like flames trailed from where Ichigo's heart was to the orb.

Something seemed to snap into place in his mind and everything had gone black, an echo of a voice ringing in his ears. "You, little one..Are truly unique. I expect great entertainment from you."

Ichigo had woke up in his father's clinic, dazed, with a pounding headache.

His dad had fussed over him. A frantic and worried expression on his face the entire time.

It had taken a lot of reassuring from Ichigo that yes he was alright, before his dad would calm down enough not to look so panicked.

His dad had held him in his arms for several long minutes, before letting him go, so he could go check on Ichigo's sisters who kept calling for him.

Ichigo, despite being a tad exasperated, had let his dad do so. He knew his dad was just worried about loosing him too like they had lost Mom.

After his dad had left he noticed that he had a necklace around his neck. The orb was attached to it. When Ichigo had tried to take it off, he had placed it on the bedside table. Not a second after his hand left it, he was hit with an intense dizzy spell and his stomach churched in uncomfort. He felt lethargic and sick, and on instinct he had curled into himself for a moment before his hand shot out on its own accord and grabbed hold of the orb again.

The sickness instantly stopped and after a while of contemplation he had tentatively placed the necklace around his neck again.

That night he got another visit from Checkerface. He had immediately gone on the defensive, yelling accusations and questions of what the man had done to him.

Checkerface has listened to him, not saying a word and then suddenly when Ichigo paused for a moment, Checkerface started talker and wouldn't stop.

He explained exactly what was about to change in Ichigo's life now.

Ichigo had become the sky Acrobaleno. Upon asking what that was Checkerface had explained everything regarding flames, the mafia, the Acrobaleno, Ichigo's new position, everything.

Ichigo was left too stunned to say a single word.

Wen he expressed his disbelief Checkerface had sighed and raised a glowing hand, Ichigo automatically assumed was fire, taking Ichigo's hand with it. Ichigo had yelped and pulled back in surprise on instinct only to fall backwards when his own hand instinctively lit itself on fire with orange glowing flames.

Ichigo had panicked for a moment, trying to shake the flame off before he registered that the flame didn't hurt.

He had no choice but to believe Checkerface then.

So he became the Sky Acrobaleno.

He eventually had to tell his dad when the man had asked about the orb around his neck, that Ichigo was too scared to leave off his person. Ichigo had blanched when Checkerface had told him it was called a pacifier.

Ichigo never planned to tell anyone else though, and he never did, though he might have to tell the girls when they got a little older.

A week after he told his dad Checkerface dropped by to meet the older Kurosaki. Isshen had almost shot him in the face with a shotgun they had stowed away deep in the house for protection, despite how clumsy the doctor was, he was just that mad that the man had given his son a curse that would eventually kill him.

After Ichigo had stopped his dad, Checkerface had been forced to explain everything to Isshen who wanted every specific about his 13 year old son's curse. Isshen has almost passed out when Flames where explained, and that Ichigo was currently the strongest Sky flame possessor alive.

Then Ichigo asked about the other Acrobaleno.

He was given their names.

He wanted to meet them.

Checkerface had sighed, before eyeing Ichigo with a tad suspicious contemplation before agreeing.

The next day four tickets to Italy and a direction guide with a map of where they had to go, arrived in the mailbox.