Ichigo: The Dragon Saint of Gemini

Chapter 1

A young, orange-haired boy with warm brown eyes full of light walked hand-in-hand with his mother. His mom had orange-brown hair and kind brown eyes. The child, Ichigo, loved the warmth he got from his mother's hand. It chased away the chill of the pouring rain.

A strong gust of wind nearly knocked Ichigo's hood off. He tugged on the yellow hood, preventing it from falling off. Rain hit him in the face, causing his eyes to close.

"Are you okay, sweety?" his mother's kind and amused voice asked. Ichigo turned his face up with a big grin.

"Yes, mom! I'm okay. I just got some rain in my eyes," he replied.

His mom giggled. "Aw, I'm sorry you got rained on. Well, we're almost home. How about hot chocolate when we return?"

Ichigo's eyes shined in delight. "Yes! That's sound great, mom! I can't wait!" he cheered, missing his mom's chuckle at his excitement.

The two began walking again beside a steep hill leading to a rushing river. Ichigo paused when he saw something white out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head to look and saw an older girl with dark hair standing by the riverside.

"What's she doing?" Ichigo muttered as he watched on. He couldn't understand why someone would stand close to the water when his mom told him how dangerous it could be while it was splashing like it was. To top it off, the girl didn't have an umbrella or a raincoat.

The girl took a step forward, inching closer to the hungry river. Ichigo felt his heart flip, now understanding what was happening. He let go of his mother's hand and ran down the hill. He didn't think, just moved. The only thought going through his mind was, 'I have to save her!'

"Ichigo, wait, STOP!" Ichigo heard his mother's call, sounding worried and desperate. Ichigo knew he should listen, but his legs kept moving, ignoring his mom's orders.

Just as Ichigo reached for the girl, the rain stopped, the river had frozen over, and the girl paused. Ichigo stood still, his hand slowly lowering to his side. He looked around, seeing the raindrops floating in the air. The trees looked to be in mid-motion, but they, too, stopped. He looked behind him at his mother. She dropped her umbrella and ran after him, but she was hovering above the ground in mid-run.

"What's going on?" Ichigo asked with wide eyes.

"So, you are Ichigo Kurosaki," a male voice said from behind, startling Ichigo. The orange-haired child spun around and saw a man with black hair covered with an old Victorian top hat. His eyes were gold, reminding Ichigo of the ancient sand of Egypt. The man wore a fancy suit with a high-collared shirt and white bowtie.

The man grinned, appearing amused, but an icy chill trailed down Ichigo's spine at the sight.

"Who are you? How do you know my name?" Ichigo asked, wincing at the fear coloring his tone. The man chuckled at the sound.

"I'm Yoma, the God of Time. I have seen your future, and I have to say: it was boring in a cliche way." Yoma rolled his eyes. "You grow up to be a dull, run-of-the-mill hero. Same for another brat, but that got me thinking. Why don't I change those events? I'll start with you, child."

Yoma lifted his right hand and placed an index finger on Ichigo's forehead. A dark glow emanated from the man's fingertip and entered the child. Yoma smirked as Ichigo stumbled at the sudden dizziness.

"I have planted the seed of darkness within you. That darkness will slowly corrupt you, destroying Soul Society and giving you a tragic end."

Ichigo felt the darkness Yoma mentioned coursing through his veins with each heartbeat. It felt cold as if shards of ice were replacing his blood cells. He didn't know how, but Ichigo knew his body was changing.