A/N: i love Ichigo's family. and when Isshin showed up as a Soul Reaper all of a sudden, i squeeeeed like a stupid girl

Drabble collection: when in doubt, bleach it out

We are the sum of our experiences. We do not tremble. We do not fall. We conquer. -full cast, at various points

Title: stubborn love

Summary: "If you think for one second that I'm going to let them take you, you've got another thing coming." –Ichigo/Karin/Yuzu

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Ichigo made promises to a lot of people: to Rukia, to Sado, to Ishida, to Orihime—the list goes on. But the first promise he made was to his sisters, Karin and Yuzu.

At the tender age of ten, he was sitting at their bedsides, watching the kindergartners sleep. He did not know his father was at the doorway, watching in a brief moment of discretion, did not know that he had witnesses to this solemn oath.

Karin was having a nightmare. She furrowed her brow, sweated, whimpered in her bed, rolled over a couple of times trying to get back to a place of rest. Ichigo sat his small bum on the edge of her bed, placed a calming hand on her shoulder. He did not betray the idea that he himself was afraid, though undoubtedly he was.

"Karin," he called, waking her instantly.

"Big brother," she murmured, her eyes still cloudy and frightened.

"I'm here," he said, and he gathered her into his arms. She did not hug him back, did not cry, did not explain or ask questions.

Instead, the fierce little girl pushed her brother back and insisted, "I'm fine! You don't have to baby me."

"You're just a kid!" he told her, a little embarrassed at having his tenderness refused.

"So are you, stupid!"

But that's when Yuzu woke up, crying openly from a nightmare as well. "Ichigo!" she lurched out of her bed and collapsed on her sister and brother on the other bed, wailing like the frightened little girl she was. "Nightmares," she said, trembling, though Ichigo was holding her very firmly in his arms.

Isshin almost came into the room too, but that's when his young son pulled Yuzu away from his small chest and looked her very seriously in the eyes. "Yuzu, I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"B-but," she started to argue, tears filling up her baby-girl eyes.

"Shh," he told her, pulling her back in a tight hug, and then he looked at Karin too. "No one's going to take you from me. No one's going to take us away from each other."

Karin's face was stone; she had already learned not reveal her weaknesses. She felt ghosts coasting her skin, breathing down her neck. But Yuzu did not. Yuzu's demons were inside her mind.

"Not even monsters?" the softer child asked.

"No, Yuzu," he answered. "I swear to you this: I will protect you guys, no matter what."

"Really?" And now Yuzu looked at him, smiling; her tears were drying up.

To drive the point home, Ichigo told her: "Of course. I'm the big brother. And if you think for one second that I'm going to let them take you, you've got another thing coming."

But then Karin's pride spiked, and her spiteful teasing side crept out. "How? You're still a dumb elementary school student," she grinned at him, to which Yuzu replied, "Don't say that! Big brother is plenty strong!"

All confidence in the room had returned between Ichigo's assurances, Karin's teasing, and Yuzu's defense of her young brother's abilities. Isshin smiled softly to himself, and closed the door. The monsters were gone, at least for tonight.

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fin.

A/N: review if you like puppies or kittens or baby pandas, kthanx