BANG BANG BANG...
SMACK SMACK SMACK...
BOOM BOOM BOOM...
While the Kurosaki father and son brawled without restraint, Tachibana Yu watched, utterly speechless.
"What kind of monster physiques are these?"
Never mind Kurosaki Ichigo. Kurosaki Isshin had been hammered into the wall by Yu earlier, yet three minutes later he was back on his feet like nothing happened.
"Are all gigai made by Soul Reapers this tough?"
"Yu-nii, you're the last person who should say that."
Kurosaki Karin sat on the table eating, dead-fish eyes fixed on him.
"I've never seen anyone slap a person into a wall with one hand."
Yu came back to himself. "Can't be helped. I fight monsters every day. If I'm not strong, I just wait to die."
Karin shook her head. "There you go talking nonsense again. If there are so many monsters, why can't I see them?"
Your dad is a former captain of Seireitei. If you could see them, that would be the real miracle, Yu griped inwardly.
Yuzu chuckled at their bickering and ladled him a bowl of rice.
"Yu-nii, eat first. Dad and Ichigo will probably fight a while longer. If we wait, the dishes will get cold."
"Yuzu is the one who cares most about me."
Yu ruffled her hair, making the middle schooler blush.
After dinner, Yu stretched, glanced at the still-sparring father and son, then turned to Yuzu and Karin.
"Right, I just remembered something."
"What is it?"
Both girls looked over.
"You two will sleep in my room tonight," Yu said seriously.
He remembered the plan that would make Ichigo a Soul Reaper. In the anime, Yuzu and Karin were hurt as a result.
He knew they would be fine, but he had lived here for five years. He could not bear to see the sisters in danger.
With my current combat power, even if I cannot beat the Hollow from the original storyline, I can at least stall it for a few minutes and hold the line...
That was his quiet resolve.
Yuzu and Karin, however, flushed scarlet in an instant.
"Yu-nii, that's not appropriate, is it?"
"Yu-nii, do you want to flirt with sisters now?"
Ichigo and Isshin froze mid-punch. They stopped fighting and rushed over.
"Yu, you trying to flirt with my sisters?"
"Yu, I don't mind you dating my daughters, but they're a bit young, aren't they?"
Veins popped on Yu's forehead. He lunged in and started trading blows with father and son.
"What would I ever want with middle schoolers?"
...
Night fell quickly.
Yu lounged on the sofa with one leg crossed over the other, flipping through channels.
"By my count, it should be soon."
BANG!
A sound from Ichigo's bedroom.
Yu tensed. Kuchiki Rukia had likely arrived, which meant the Hollow would be next.
"Where will it come from? The living room? The kitchen? Or the sisters' room?"
The moment that thought struck, his expression changed. He heard noise from the sisters' room and strode over in long steps.
"So it's here after all."
BOOM!
He kicked the bedroom door open.
Yuzu and Karin stared at him in a panic as cracks spidered down the wall.
"Yu-nii!"
Karin pointed at the splitting plaster. "Yu-nii, there's a monster, just like you said. One punch and it cracked the wall. It's about to break in."
"I know."
Yu nodded. Through the widening fissures he could already see the Hollow's pallid mask.
He turned his head, voice low. "You two, don't just stand there. Put on your jackets and get behind me."
Unlike the original, the sisters were down to their underwear, so they hastily threw on outerwear, faces burning.
RUMBLE!
The wall burst open, leaving a gaping hole. The Hollow glared greedily at the three figures inside and let out an ear-splitting howl.
Yuzu and Karin were petrified, staring blankly at the towering form.
It was hard to imagine that the monsters Yu had fought were this terrifying. Just looking at it sent a chill slithering down their spines.
"Yu-nii!"
Tears shimmered in their eyes.
Yu had no time for comfort. He locked on to the invading Hollow, eyes like ice, and drove a fist forward.
"Get out!"
BANG!
The Hollow rocked back a step, halted, then roared in rage and slammed a massive claw at him.
Yu did not yield. He hurled heavy punches as if they cost nothing.
BANG! BANG! BANG...
"Yu-nii!"
The sisters watched through tears. His forearms were already slick with blood.
"What are you two still doing here?"
Yu did not look back. Trading blows head-on with the Hollow, he shouted over his shoulder.
"Go get Ichigo. Then stay by Uncle Isshin. If anything gets dangerous, run. Do not worry about us."
They nodded, sobbing, and sprinted to Ichigo's door, pounding with both fists.
"Ichigo-nii, hurry."
"Yu-nii is fighting a monster to save us. He's badly hurt."
The door swung open with a snap. It was not Ichigo, but a petite girl in a shihakushō.
Under their stunned gazes, Kuchiki Rukia's eyes flashed with anger toward the sisters' room.
"It's already this close?"
She did not hesitate. She yanked the zanpakutō from her sash and dashed for the doorway.
Right then, Ichigo also emerged, but in a ridiculous posture, hands cuffed behind his back, wriggling forward like a worm.
Gritting his teeth as he inched along, he still managed a steady voice for the girls.
"Yuzu, Karin, don't worry. Find a place to hide. Leave the rest to me."
They stared, dumbfounded. Then Yuzu burst into tears.
"Yu-nii is hurt, Ichigo-nii turned into a grub, and Dad... Dad, what do we do? Yu-nii is going to be killed by the monster..."