The days went by, and Karin and Yuzu began making friends and drawing attention everywhere they went—the Kurosaki family's warmth and charisma were impossible to miss.
Issei and his perverted trio watched them from a distance, and something told them those two girls spelled trouble for their lives.
"Hey—you two have the same last name as Professor Kurosaki," one girl said curiously. "Are you related?"
"Ryu-nii is our big brother," Yuzu answered with a bright smile. "He looks scary at first, but he's really nice. And his wife is wonderful too."
"Ooh—he's married?" another asked, even more interested. "What's she like?"
"She's beautiful," Yuzu beamed. "Our whole family adores her. My brothers are so lucky with their wives."
"You have more than one brother?"
This time Karin answered, her tone grumpy as always.
"Yeah," she said shortly. "Can we please change the subject?"
Everyone took the hint and moved on to other things.
(—)
A Hollow's howl cut through the night, reaching Ryu's ears. He stepped out of his Gigai, spread his great wings, and took to the skies.
Ever since awakening his Shinigami powers, he'd learned to suppress his spiritual pressure enough to keep from killing humans and weaker beings simply by being near them.
He found the creature quickly. It was attacking a group of teenagers—and the red-haired girl he'd sensed before, the one they called a Devil, was among them.
(—)
"Wh-What is this thing?" Issei stammered, dodging a strike. "It's not a Devil… I know that much."
"They're the Masked Ones—monsters, creatures no one understands!" Rias shouted, panic rising as she readied a destructive attack. "Don't let it touch you!"
She unleashed her power, and the creature was blasted away. It hit the ground and crumbled into dust.
"I never thought I'd see one in person," she gasped, trembling.
"They're that rare?" Koneko asked. "Why didn't you let us fight?"
"Because… a member of the Phenex Clan was killed by one of them," Rias said with a shudder. "They must have some way to stop regeneration."
She knew exactly how dangerous that made them. Killing a Phenex—even a branch family member—was nearly impossible without holy or divine power. Yet this Devil had been slain with terrifying ease, and its soul devoured. Word spread through the Underworld like wildfire. These creatures were classified as the highest possible threat level. She couldn't send her servants to face them—not when they could die so easily.
(—)
From high above, Ryu watched it all carefully.
"So they know the basics," he murmured to himself. "But not enough to threaten Hueco Mundo."
He folded his wings and headed home, checking the time—9:58 PM. Right on schedule. Down at the gate, Karin and Yuzu were trying to slip inside quietly.
"I'll let it slide this once," Ryu said to himself, stepping back into his Gigai as he went inside. The smell of food filled the air, and he smiled. Nel had made a late-night snack.
(—)
Time passed. It had been roughly three months since Ryu began teaching at Kuon Academy.
He'd had several run-ins with Sona Sitri, who kept inviting him to play chess—and he kept turning her down. He'd realized quickly that she too was a Devil, and her power was on par with the red-haired girl's.
One afternoon, he was walking home from the shops when he heard a commotion coming from an old church nearby. He went to investigate—and found one of his students, Yuto Kiba, locked in battle with a priest.
Kiba's spiritual pressure wasn't especially strong, but his sword felt familiar—almost like a Zanpakutō. Almost. And the priest's blade held power too, but the opposite kind. The priest was clearly winning.
(—)
Kiba was in trouble. The exorcist was pressing him hard, and his sword shattered mid-blow. Before he could summon another, he was cut down.
"Take that, you devilish filth!" the priest cried, raising his sword for the killing blow.
Then a black Western-style blade blocked the strike, sending the priest flying backward.
Kiba collapsed, barely conscious. Through fading eyes, he saw a tall figure with black hair standing with his back to him.
"Who the hell are you?" the priest roared, pointing his sword at Ryu. "Are you a Devil too? I'll kill you, you monster!"
"Seriously… why do I always end up in the middle of other people's fights?" Ryu muttered, rubbing his head in annoyance. He looked at the exorcist. "I'll give you one chance. Leave. And leave my student alone."
"Go to hell, you devil spawn! I'll kill you too!" The priest flew into a rage.
"Ugh… seriously?" Ryu sighed, lifting his sword. "Why do I always have to deal with idiots?"
"Let's see what those improvements Urahara mentioned actually do," he murmured. He gathered his spiritual energy and moved with Sonido—slowly, deliberately.
He appeared right in front of the priest and drove a kick into his stomach, sending him crashing away.
"Weak."
Ryu tapped his foot twice against the ground, sighing in frustration.
"I thought those upgrades would bring this Gigai up to Uryū's level… or Chad's… or even Mom's. It's still way too weak." He winced a little, feeling a dull ache in his leg.
"You bastard!" The priest crawled up, coughing blood, still ranting. "I'll show you the true power of Excalibur! I'll run you through!"
Ryu sighed. The priest blurred into motion, appearing instantly before him and swinging for his neck. Ryu simply stepped aside. Another strike came, and Ryu raised his arm—Can I use Hierro inside a Gigai? he wondered.
He caught the blade with his forearm.
Steel rang against something harder. A shockwave rippled outward. Ryu slid back a few steps, and the priest screamed in pain as he was thrown backward.
Ryu looked at his arm. A thin line of blood had appeared.
"Tch. Even Hierro barely works," he muttered.
The exorcist staggered to his feet, dazed and furious. "This isn't over! I'll destroy you!" He charged again, moving faster than before.
Ryu considered giving chase, then decided it wasn't worth it. He turned instead to check on Kiba. The boy was unconscious, but alive. Ryu carried him to the Occult Research Club building and left him just inside the doors. No one was there, but the redhead would find him first thing in the morning.
(—)
The next day, in the Student Council room…
"Tsubaki… what do you think about recruiting the Kurosaki twins?" Sona asked thoughtfully.
"I'm not sure," Tsubaki answered honestly. "They don't seem the type to be easily swayed. And their brother—Professor Kurosaki—strikes me as someone very strict about how they were raised. Also… one of them wears a cross around her neck."
Sona sighed.
"You're right. It might not be such a good idea." She dropped the idea.