Disclaimer: BLEACH it's what's for dinner, lunch, breakfast and snack time. And Kubo-sensei owns it all.
A/N Yes I'm starting another story…well more like a mini series but anyway I know I have plenty of WIPS that need attention but I really wanted to write something fun and new…especially since it's July aka the month of the orange berry.
Warnings: AU, cross-dressing, uber OOC-ness, IshixIchi, GrimmxIchi, AixIchi, ByaxIchi, OthersIchi, other pairings mentioned, language, punctuation, grammar, spelling, errors abound, switching views and …lemons down the line.
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This series is dedicated to and inspired by Castiel4Life. With her encouragement input, ideas and brilliance this series will be completed in no time, so thank you Cas!
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Full Summary: Before her official departure from his life, Ichigo's mother Masaki, left him with a piece of advice that would stay with the berry all through his teen years..."Rather than cursing the heavens for giving you a girlish figure and orange hair, you should embrace it as a gift and use your looks to your advantage."
Of course when Masaki said these words she probably hadn't meant that Ichigo should "embrace his feminine looks" in the literal sense but Ichigo decided why not?
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SKIRTING through LIFE
PROLOGUE
Ichigo is a bright boy of 12 years old when his mother, Masaki, pulls him aside one bright and sunny afternoon and announces that she is leaving.
Leaving as in 'goodbye, so long, farewell, never to return again' and suddenly as if on cue, clouds cover the sky, thunder rumbles, lightening strikes and Ichigo is drenched from head to toe.
Spiky tufts of orange hair matted down, shielding his heart broken expression, masking his tears, drowning his would be protests.
Ichigo is not entirely shocked. He's been expecting this for some time now. Dreading the moment. Knowing that no matter how much he wished-no matter how much he prayed, it was inevitable his Kaa-san and goat face were drifting apart.
What the fairy tales often preached couldn't be further from the truth.
Nothing lasts forever.
"It's not because I've stopped loving your father, he is my first, last and always and forever."
Yes Ichigo knew this too. Despite their differences there was no greater or deeper love than that of his parents.
"And it's not because I've stopped loving you, for you are my little guardian in my darkest hours, my sweet, sweet boy." Her hands brushed against his cheek while her lips touched his forehead.
Ichigo treasures this moment just as he has treasured all other moments spent with his mother. He released a heavy sigh, shoulders sagging. If only he could say something-do something in order to convince his Kaa-san to stay-if only-
But it was useless. This Ichigo knew. Her bags were packed. Her dresser drawers (all but the one) and closets empty.
"Where will you go?"
Ichigo knew he could not follow. Knew he could not beg him mother to take him with her. Knew that when the woman disappeared she would disappear completely, not wishing to be found.
Masaki shook her head. "It is not something you should concern yourself with at this time but perhaps one day when you are older, perhaps then I will tell you."
Ichigo scowled. He pretty much figured his mother would say something along these lines but it didn't make it any easier to listen to.
Didn't make it hurt less. He pinched his arm repeatedly, hoping for the pain to stop, hoping for this nightmare to end because this couldn't really be happening. It just couldn't.
But it was. It was and Ichigo felt like he couldn't breathe and wanted to vomit all at the same time.
'It's not true, this isn't-this can't be happening.' He shook his head more fiercely and then looked up at his mother, eyes pleading with her 'don't to do this-don't leave me!'
Masaki is not a cruel woman. She does not just stand there and do nothing while her precious boy falls apart on the front steps.
Instead she reached for Ichigo, pulls him tightly to her bosom as if were a new born babe and not a pre-teen and holds him the only way a mother can hold her child.
Ichigo no longer tries to fight back the sobs-no longer tries to be a "big-boy"-nothing matters except here and now. Here and now he is safe in Kaa-san's arms. The woman who nurtured and cared for him, the woman who will always love him no matter what.
Even if she walks away today she will not stop loving him and Ichigo will not stop loving her.
Ichigo holds on tightly to his mother-no longer caring that he'll be soaked to the bone-that he'll probably catch a cold-that the nosy next door neighbors are probably watching from their windows or rooftops.
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Time stands still. Minutes-hours tick by very slowly. Ichigo's teeth are chattering, he can barely feel his toes or fingertips and the warmth is leaving both his and his mother's bodies.
Masaki is singing Ichigo's favorite childhood lullaby, voice barely above a whisper, her hands half frozen she continuously pets her precious boys' hair.
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The loud obnoxious honking of a car horn is sounded. Time starts to move again. Too quickly. Much too quickly for Ichigo's likening.
His mother is pulling away form him now, removing her navy blue military style jacket; she bends down and drapes the jacket around his slim shoulders (the inside is surprisingly dry)
Her thumb brushes his cheek once more and she smiles at him.
"Before I leave there is something I must ask of you Ichigo."
Something she must ask of him. Ichigo blinks. What does Kaa-san mean by that? He raises a curious brow and Masaki's smile widens,
"Embrace who you are."
The scowl is back on the boy's face and he scrunches his nose in distaste. "But Kaa-san how am I supposed to "embrace who I am" when Tatsuki and everyone else is always telling me that I'm too scrawny?
And goat face and Uncle Kai are always telling me that I need to drink more milk and train harder in order to grow up big and strong like them? How am I supposed to "embrace who I am" when the girls in my class only wanna date then bad boys and-
"Ichigo we've been over this before," Masaki's tone although reprimanding is light, "There is nothing wrong with you."
"Tch! Yeah right," here the boy rolls his big brown eyes, "Cuz it's totally natural for a boy to have orange hair and girly chicken legs."
Masaki laughs lightly and Ichigo is miffed.
"Kaa-san it's not funny! No one is ever gonna take me seriously or marry me when I look like this!"
Masaki knelt down once more so that she could meet her son eye to eye.
"Ichigo, listen to me, rather than curse the heavens for giving you a girlish figure and fire-colored locks you should embrace it as a gift and use your exotic looks to your advantage." Here she winked at him "Promise you'll do this for me and for yourself, Ichigo?"
Ichigo didn't want to argue with his mother or displease her on their last official afternoon together and so he nodded his head and vowed, "I promise Kaa-san."
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Of course when Masaki said these words she probably hadn't meant that Ichigo should embrace his feminine figure in the literal sense.
But after a year of living with out his mother near by and only having memories and photos to remind him of the better times spent…
While goat face was out by the lake fishing with the other locals, Ichigo went rummaging through his parents bedroom all in the hopes of finding something more-something else that could tie him to his mother.
It happened on one chilly winter morning…
Ichigo discovered an old box hidden at the bottom of the drawer that his Kaa-san had apparently missed during her packing.
Not knowing what he would find but excited all the same Ichigo lifted the lid and pulled out a navy blue wool skirt.
An idea quickly forming in his mind, he set the box to the side for a moment and went to find a mirror.
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Ichigo held the skirt up to his waist while he stood in front of the full-length mirror inside the bathroom and grinned at his reflection…'Not bad, not bad at all.'
School would resume next week…it would be the perfect time to make good on his vow…the ideal time to embrace his true self.
And so Ichigo decided why not?
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THANK YOU FOR READING! HOPE TO SEE YOU AGAIN!
~SLY~