Chapter 13: Family Bonding

Late Evening, Shiba Residence, West Rukongai

Karin sits on the roof of the Shiba Residence, staring in awe at the night sky above, currently filled with unique and brilliant combinations of colors and shapes the likes of which she's never seen before. The sky booms and crackles as the fireworks continue to explode, drowning out all of the noise, including the footsteps of a certain woman approaching the new Shinigami from behind.

Her cousin Kukaku's voice calls, breaking her out of her trance. "Bet those fireworks in the world of the living don't compare to these!"

Karin turns to face the one-armed, bandage-wearing form of her cousin, who is looking up at her work with a prideful expression. The Shinigami merely nods her head in response before shifting her head to look up at the sky once more. A few more minutes of observing the fireworks pass, leaving Karin to consider the day's strange occurrences that led to this point.

6 hours ago (Soul Society Time), Basement, Shiba Residence

The basement beneath the Shiba Residence is not unlike a storage hanger—a large open room that houses a variety of explosives within. Currently, a burly black-haired man wearing green robes, a bandaged, black-haired woman, and two female Shinigami with short black hair occupy the room.

"Aw crap! Sis, it looks like we're out of the good stuff!", Ganju remarks after rummaging through a box of various explosives.

Kukaku, standing behind him, clicks her tongue, "Shit. Looks like you'll have to go get more materials…"

The black-haired man spins around, wearing an upset expression, "ME?! But I thought you said YOU'D get the materials this time!"

His sister snorts, "Well this time is special. I'll be the one to make the fireworks since I'm better at it than you are! That means you get the materials."

Ganju continues to protest, "But I want to—"

The bandaged woman punches her brother on the head, "QUIT WHINING! Or are you saying you want our cousin's first impressions of our fireworks to be third-rate?!"

Kukaku suddenly points at Karin, as if to emphasize her point, prompting the girl to perk up from the table she's sitting at in the middle of the room.

The girl, deciding to take this opportunity to resolve the conflict, speaks up, "Well, I don't really mind. You guys really don't have to go through all the effort—"

"No, you're right… she should definitely see your fireworks first…", Ganju suddenly admits, cutting his younger cousin off.

Karin's eye twitches a bit at being ignored before she sighs and rests her chin on her palm, not allowing it to sour her mood. Rukia, who is seated across from the younger Shinigami, smiles at the display of the Shibas' antics.

Kukaku nods at her brother before regarding her cousin, "Alright then, Karin, you can go with Ganju to the Rukongai."

Karin raises a brow, "You want me to help him do chores?"

The Shiba woman shakes her head, "No. I want you to meet the people of the Rukongai. I don't know what kind of Shinigami you plan on being, but I refuse to allow you to hold no regard for the people you are meant to protect. Most of those Shinigami bastards don't give a damn about the people of the Rukongai."

Karin looks to Rukia for confirmation, prompting the older Shinigami to admit with a disappointed expression, "She's right about that. Only a handful of us care about the Rukongai… many haven't even been out here. It's the sad truth."

"Well, that's bullshit.", the young girl blurts out.

Kukaku releases a hardy laugh, "You don't hold back, do you? That's as sure a sign you're gonna get that you're a Shiba if I've ever seen one!"

Karin's eyes widen, as she rubs the back of her neck awkwardly, "So that's normal for you guys? I thought the Shibas were nobles?"

The bandaged woman shrugs, "Eh, not really. Not anymore. Besides, my parents were very direct too, even when the family was still with the nobility. And honestly, all these manners and etiquette are a pain—you should just be yourself! To Hell with what those high-strung aristocrats think!"

The young Shinigami nods, smiling at the woman's words.

Rukia on the other hand, gawks, thinking to herself, "That's the worst advice on how to be a noble I've ever heard!"

Ganju decides to interrupt the conversation, "This is all well and good, but are you coming with or not? We're burning daylight!"

Karin nods awkwardly, still getting used to being around her cousins. The older, raven-haired Shinigami follows the two cousins through the door on the other side of the room, leading to the stairs.

Rukia pauses as she stands in the exit before turning to the Shiba woman, "Would it be alright if I set up a training area in the forest nearby?"

Kukaku shrugs, "I don't care. Just keep the noise down if you train at night."

The Shinigami bows before exiting the room, intent on finding a good place to set up for training the younger Shinigami.

Outside

Meanwhile, as Ganju and Karin stand on the grass in front of the Shiba Residence, they are by four men, all with varying appearances.

The black-haired man addresses them all, as they look at his cousin with curious gazes, "All right gang, this is my cousin, Karin. She'll be accompanying me to the Rukongai today."

Karin gives them all a casual wave, "What's up?"

The four men briefly look at each other before settling curious gazes on the Shinigami girl.

The first to speak is a man with a headband and afro, pointing out, "Hey, she kinda looks like a younger version of Ms. Kukaku."

Ganju snorts as he picks his nose, "Are you deaf? I just said we were cousins—of course, she'd resemble us!"

As the Shiba man seemingly flicks his booger, another man with a pointy hairdo adjusts the sunglasses he's wearing, "No way man, she looks too cute to resemble you."

Ganju wipes his hand on his pants before he narrows his eyes, "What's that supposed to mean? All the girls say I'm cute! Just look at these eyelashes!"

Karin's face contorts in mild disgust, noting to herself, "Yeah… I definitely don't want to be compared to him based on appearance… he reminds me of goat beard."

The man in sunglasses waves his hands, "Y-y'know I didn't mean it like that, boss! It's just—"

"I'll stop you right there, Top. We all know you can't win an argument.", a man who wears his hair over his right eye stops the argument before it can begin.

The fourth, bald, man, nods his head in agreement, as he strokes a squirrel in his hand.

Ganju sighs, before addressing Karin, "So, this here is my gang. The one with the afro is Fever, he has absolutely no rhythm. The one who tried to start an argument just now is Top… as you've heard, he is pretty bad at arguing. The guy who stopped the argument is Hawk, who is good at cooking. And the last guy is Dumbbell—he's good with animals."

The Shiba man then starts to strike a pose with the rest of his gang, "And together we're—the West Rukon Riders!"

Karin sweat drops, using all the restraint she can muster to suppress her thoughts from coming into words, "Their pose is so lame!"

Ganju breaks out of the pose before coughing into his hand, "Anyway, I think you guys should stay here for today—Hawk, I'd appreciate it if you had dinner ready for when we come back!"

Hawk nods, "Leave it to me, boss!"

The Shinigami girl wears a thoughtful expression as Hawk walks off, prompting her cousin to address her, "What's on your mind?"

Karin snaps out of her thoughts, mildly flustered, "It's just… did you call yourselves riders? What do you ride?"

"Oh right! Here, I'll show you… BONNIE!", the man shouts before he whistles.

The Shinigami hears trotting, her eyes widening as a giant boar wearing a small bow and saddle jumps over her body and lands directly on Ganju.

The man struggles to push the boar off before properly mounting it and motioning to his cousin, "Alright, get on!"

Ganju pats the back of the saddle, which apparently has enough room for Karin to sit.

The girl deadpans, still struggling to keep her thoughts to herself, "He's a pig-straddler!"

West Rukongai

As Ganju and Karin ride the boar through the dirty streets, they are greeted by a crowd of curious Rukongai residents, wondering why the Shiba man showed up without his gang. The girl narrows her eyes as she takes in the sight of the wooden, run-down-looking buildings, as well as the citizens. The citizens have no shoes and seem either modest Gis or outright rags, suggesting that they live poorly when taking into account the buildings as well.

Ganju suddenly tugs on the reigns, prompting Bonnie to stop before dismounting the boar.

He assists his cousin get off too, before addressing the residents, "I need supplies for fireworks."

Ganju pulls out a bag of coins from the sounds of it, given the jingling noise it makes, "You'll be compensated as usual."

This causes one of the older residents to approach, "I thought you said Lady Kukaku would come this time. Also, I think I'm asking for all of us when I ask; who is the young lady accompanying you?"

The residents look at Karin, who shifts nervously under their gazes, not particularly a fan of being the center of attention.

Ganju glances at his cousin before he shrugs, "She's my cousin, Karin. Sis sent me to gather supplies and she will make the fireworks. We want our next lot to make a good first impression."

The old man's eyes widen, "Your cousin—?"

The man looks Karin up and down before the vision of an ill-mannered girl who looks identical to the young Shinigami, but wearing a tattered kimono comes to his mind.

The elder smiles slightly as he recalls old times, "I see… she does in fact resemble Lady Kukaku in her youth."

Ganju snorts, unamused, "You're the second person today to say that… do you have the materials or not?"

The old man nods, "Lee's shop is just down the road. I believe you will find what you need there."

"Thanks. Karin, you stay here. Meet the locals—we'll be coming here a lot over the next couple weeks…", the Shiba man then walks off to fetch the supplies.

Karin looks at the residents awkwardly, as they gaze at her wordlessly.

"I'm not sure what I should say…", she thinks to herself.

The old man approaches her, wearing a friendly expression, "So you are Ganju's cousin, Karin, was it?"

The girl nods wordlessly.

The elder continues, "I am the elder of this village. We are indebted to your cousins. They have made the hardships of living here far lighter for all of us."

Karin nods once more, saying nothing in response.

The elder notices her silence, "Y'know, you really do remind me of young Kukaku when I first met her… she was a quiet child, always choosing to hide behind her brother when meeting strangers…"

"Ganju?", the girl asks with a raised brow, speaking for the first time since arriving at the Rukongai village.

The villagers around the girl chuckle as the elder clarifies with an amused grin, "No, my child. I am referring to her older brother, Kaien. He was such an upstanding man, one who we all looked up to. Based on your appearance, you seem to be following in his footsteps…"

Karin widens her eyes and glances down at her Shinigami Shihakushō before meeting the elder's gaze, which is now much more somber.

The elder continues, "I'm sure I don't have to tell you this, but please tread carefully. The path of a Shinigami is one impeded by danger…"

The girl's gaze hardens uncharacteristically, taking the residents off guard, "Danger is nothing… I will avenge my brother or my name isn't Karin Kurosaki!"

The elder's eyes widen, "Your bro-? Then that means—"

Karin grimaces, looking away as her eyes start to tear up, "Just forget about it…"

The other residents whisper amongst themselves about the implications, but the elder calls out to all of them, "That's enough! We owe the Shibas too much to be gossiping about their family matters!"

The villagers all silence themselves at this.

The elder glances back at the young Shinigami with a solemn expression, noting to himself, "She must've been through so much to have the resolve to become a Shinigami at such a young age…"

A boy with brown hair, who looks about Karin's age, approaches her, "Excuse me, but did you say your name was Kurosaki?"

The girl blinks, forcing any potential tears out of her eyes before she faces the boy, "Yeah, what's it to you?"

The boy wears a friendly smile, "You wouldn't happen to know a Yuzu Kurosaki, would you?"

Karin's eyes widen at this, "You knew my sister? I should know you if you knew her…"

The boy shakes his head, "No. I didn't know her personally, but she was a friend of Mr. Chad. He helped me pass on. My name's Yuichi, by the way."

The Shinigami gazes at the boy curiously, "Wait, back up. How does Yuzu have anything to do with your passing on? How would you remember her from that?"

The boy nods, "Well, Miss Yuzu helped Mr. Chad with his wounds after he protected me from a Hollow. She was very nice."

Karin wears a bewildered expression as her thoughts are now racing.

The elder frowns at the boy, "Yuichi, didn't I just say to not pester the girl about family matters?"

Yuichi looks down in mild amounts of shame at this.

The Shiba girl notices this and raises her voice, "It's alright. It's good to know that she is taking care of the clinic when Dad and I are… gone…"

She trails off as many of the villagers look at her curiously, wondering what she meant by that.

Just then, Ganju arrives carrying a large sack filled with fireworks, "Alright, let's get out of… here…"

He notices the curious looks the villagers are giving Karin, who wears a somber expression, prompting him to turn to the elder, whispering, "What happened?"

The elder gives Ganju a serious look, "Watch over this girl, Ganju."

The Shiba stares wordlessly at the older man before turning his gaze back to his cousin, who is talking with Yuichi.

The boy seems to be explaining something to her, "…and then Mr. Chad unlocked his power, called 'Fullbring'! It was awesome!"

Karin, meanwhile, sweat drops and smiles as she doesn't take the boy seriously, "I think this kid has a screw loose… He's probably just making this 'Fullbring' thing up or something… he did just say he was a bird as well and there's no way in Hell that's true…"

Ganju grunts before he looks back at the elder and declares, "Who do you think you're talking to, old man? Of course, I'll look after my cousin!"

He wastes no time whistling for his boar to return to him, prompting the crowd of citizens to disperse to make a path for the boar. The Shiba cousins promptly mount the beast before waving at the citizens and leaving the area. As the villagers return to their usual state of affairs, the elder narrows his eyes slightly, watching the Shibas leave with a somewhat worried expression on his face.

Basement, Shiba Residence

Once more in the basement beneath the Shiba Residence, Ganju hands the sack of fireworks over to his sister, "That should be all of them, Sis. How can I help prepare them?"

Kukaku lays the sack on the table in the middle of the room before beginning to go over the supplies, ignoring her brother's question as he still stands at attention.

He repeats, "I asked you; how can I help prepare them?"

The woman continues to go over the supplies with an unreadable expression.

Ganju doesn't give up, however, "How can I—"

"I HEARD YOU THE FIRST TWO TIMES!", Kukaku shouts as she punches her brother in the face, sending him across the room and crashing into some crates.

"Ow! What'd you do that for? That hurt!", Ganju whines as he gets up, rubbing the side of his face.

The woman glares at her brother, "A fireworks novice like you would only get in the way! Now, get out of here! I'm trying to focus!"

Ganju is shocked by this, gasping in disbelief.

His sister makes a 'shooing' motion with her left hand, making the man sulk as he exits the room, "I don't think my fireworks are that bad…"

Upstairs

After ascending the stairs, Ganju is suddenly handed a bowl of curry from Hawk.

Hawk looks down the stairs before addressing the man while he starts eating, "I don't think your fireworks are that bad either, boss."

Ganju raises a brow as he and his friend walk into the room closest to the stairway, "Eh? You heard that?"

The chief nods, prompting his boss to wear an appreciative look, "Thanks, Hawk…"

"They're still nothing compared to Ms. Kukaku's, though.", Fever blurts out from the table across the room.

The other three in Ganju's gang agree, nodding their heads, which only seems to further sour the Shiba man's mood.

Ganju looks at the table, noticing a bowl of curry sitting in place, "Where's Karin?"

"She said she wasn't hungry… she went outside, I think…", Top replies before taking another bite of his curry.

The Shiba's gaze hardens as he devours his bowl as fast as he can, stunning Hawk.

"Thanks for the grub!", Ganju states to his friend, handing him the dirty bowl before making his way outside.

Outside

Once outside, Ganju notices a young Shinigami with short black hair kicking around some kind of checkered ball, wearing an intense expression on her face.

"Hey, what are you doing? Your food'll get cold!", Ganju calls out to the girl.

The Shinigami glances at her cousin, "I'm not hungry though…"

The man frowns, "How am I supposed to face my uncle if he finds out I'm letting you skip meals? Please just work with me here, kid…"

Karin bounces the ball with her foot, wearing a careless expression, "That's you and goat beard's problem. I'm not hungry, so I'm not going to eat."

Ganju starts getting agitated by the girl's words but calms down when she suddenly strikes the ball mid-air with a mighty kick, sending it to the other side of the field. He then watches her run after it and intercept it before it hits the ground.

"I didn't know she was so fast…", the man thinks to himself as he gawks at his cousin.

Karin looks down at the ball, wide-eyed, noting to herself with equal surprise, "I couldn't move like that before becoming a Shinigami… Did I get some kind of crazy speed boost or something?"

Ganju approaches with a curious look on his face, "Is that some kind of game in the living world—kicking the ball to yourself?"

The girl shakes her head, "Not to yourself, to other players. The game is called Soccer, and you want your team to score more goals than the other team."

The pig rider rubs the back of his head, "So how does scoring goals work then?"

Karin looks back down at the ball, "Usually there are goalposts set up on each side of the field, one for each team. If I kick the ball into the other team's goal, that counts as a point. The ball then goes to the other team, but it can be stolen by the defending team."

Ganju tilts his head, "Games from the world of the living sure are complicated…"

The girl sweat drops, thinking to herself, "This blockhead… I haven't even told him about the positions yet."

Ganju huffs, "Well in any case, it looks like we'll have to get these goalposts set up so we can play against each other!"

Karin's eyes widen at this, "Are you sure? You know I'm pretty good from where I'm from, I don't want to embarrass you…"

The man taunts, "What's the matter, afraid you'll lose?"

The Shiba girl deadpans and frowns at her cousin, "Huh?!"

Ganju chuckles, "I perfectly understand, Karin, you're afraid I'll show you up and I'll be the new champion of this football game!"

Karin points at him dramatically, "First of all, it's Soccer not Football—get it right! What are you, European?! And secondly, I won't lose to you, and I'll prove it right now!"

The man scratches the back of his head, "Right now? But there are no goal posts…"

The girl shakes her head, "We don't need them to prove my point. Try to steal the ball from me without using your hands. You'll see the difference in our skills, then."

Ganju shrugs, "Should be a piece of cake!"

He charges at Karin, trying to kick the ball from under her foot, but the girl instantly applies force on the ball, sending it to the side. Ganju tries to use his other foot to get it, but his cousin uses the other side of the same foot to redirect the ball between his legs before quickly pivoting around him to intercept her own pass. The end result? Ganju overexerting his kicks and falling on his butt.

Karin casually dribbles the ball back and forth, "What's the matter? Can't keep up?"

Ganju notices a fire in the girl's eyes as she states next, "I'm a Queen when it comes to Soccer—you just lay on the ground where you belong—you're not fit to play on my field!"

Her cousin growls as he gets up, "Oh yeah?! Well, I'm gonna knock that ego of yours down a few pegs and then some!"

Karin smirks, "I'd just love to see you try!"

2 Hours Later, Basement, Shiba Residence

Kukaku gives a satisfied nod upon inspecting her work, "Two hours well spent to make, likely, the best damn fireworks in the land!"

She exits the room, walks down the hall, and ascends the stairs, followed by Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko, who carry the fireworks.

Once at the top of the stairs, Kukaku briefly glances into the dining room to see a full bowl of curry that is definitely cold by now, raising a brow.

Her attention is grabbed when she hears noises coming from outside, prompting her to walk up another set of stairs to inspect.

Outside

As the woman exits the house, the sun is starting to set, meaning it will soon be the optimal time to set off fireworks. That is not why the woman now wears a smile on her face, but rather the sight of Karin standing over a huffing Ganju.

"You had enough? Or am I going to have to school you some more?", the girl taunts, continuing to dribble the soccer ball casually, although with less energy than before.

Ganju is apparently too exhausted to respond as he continues to huff.

Kukaku glances at Ganju's gang standing on the sidelines, who notice her gaze, "What's going on out here?"

Hawk answers, "Ganju said he could steal that ball from Karin while neither of them uses their hands, but he has been failing to do so for the last two hours!"

Kukaku looks back at her cousin, an amused smirk on her face, "Interesting…"

Karin becomes quiet when she notices her oldest cousin approaching.

The woman maintains her smirk as she asks, "You ready to see some fireworks?"

Present, Shiba Residence

Still sitting on the roof, Karin returns to the present at Kukaku's call, "That game you played with Ganju looked interesting. What do you call it?"

The girl simply responds, "It's Soccer."

Kukaku raises a brow, "And?"

Karin looks confused, "What?"

The woman sighs in mild frustration, "Are you gonna tell me how it works or not? I assume it's more than just kicking a ball."

The young girl shrugs, "Not really. I mean, sure, there are a lot of rules and positions you can take on the field—but at the core, Soccer is about kicking the ball and scoring goals."

Kukaku casually smokes from her pipe, "You'll have to teach me sometime. Then we can start making it a game people can play around here."

Karin nods again, "Sure…"

Her cousin raises a brow again, "I know what I said earlier, but are you sure you're a Shiba?"

The young Shinigami raises a brow, wearing an anxious expression, "Why do you ask?"

Kukaku smokes on her pipe, exhaling before explaining, "Don't worry, the question was rhetorical. You're just a lot quieter than I expected of Isshin's daughter, is all."

Karin says nothing in response, prompting the woman to continue. "I'm sorry if this is a sour topic, but could you tell me about your mother?"

The girl's eyes widen and her posture stiffens at this briefly, which Kukaku doesn't miss.

Before Karin can respond, Kukaku continues, "Never mind. I can tell it's a bad subject—it's written all over your body language. Sorry for bringing it up…"

After a few moments of awkward silence, the girl decides to speak up, "Why do you want to know about my mom? She's gone… she's not worth talking about…"

Kukaku snarls at this, "You trying to piss me off?"

Karin flinches, the woman's angry tone scaring her slightly.

The older Shiba continues, maintaining a serious tone, "Look, kid. The only way you will remember those you've lost is by talking about them. They live on in your memories—meaning they never truly die until people forget about them."

The Shinigami looks down with a solemn expression, "I guess… but I'm sorry to say, I don't know much about my mom. All I know is that she was a kind woman who loved her family…"

Kukaku sighs, "Well that's a relief. All I wanted to know was what kind of person Uncle would abandon his family and position as a captain for. Good to know it was for someone nice, at least."

Karin is silent for a while before she suddenly asks, "Can I ask you a difficult question too?"

The woman, with an expectant look in her eye, smokes from her pipe, responding after exhaling another stream of smoke, "It's only fair, I guess. Go ahead."

The young Shinigami lifts her head and looks back up at the fireworks, which is something Kukaku has been doing the whole time.

Karin nervously bites her lip before continuing, "Can you tell me about your older brother? The one Rukia said she killed…"

Ganju sits up from where he is lying on the ground below, hearing the question. He is also interested in hearing his sister speak about their brother. Koganehiko, Shiroganehiko, and Ganju's friends look at each other before moving back inside to give the family some space.

Kukaku sighs a deep sigh, exhaling yet another stream of smoke as she does, "You don't hold back, do you?"

The girl remains silent as her cousin closes her eyes, seemingly deep in thought. She sighs once more as she opens her eyes and addresses the younger girl.

"Aw, what the hell… I would've told you about him eventually. But first things first, Rukia didn't kill my brother, no matter how much she may try to act like it."

Karin looks a bit confused about this, "What do you mean? What killed him?"

Kukaku looks solemn, "Some Hollow, I think. You'd have to ask Rukia herself for the details, although I'd recommend waiting a bit. I think she's still taking things in right now…"

The girl nods slowly, seemingly understanding as her cousin smiles slightly, "Besides, I'm sure you'd much rather hear about the good times! Am I right?"

Karin nods her head this time with more vigor, "Yeah. What type of person was he?"

Kukaku smirks, recalling tales to tell, "Well you see…"

A Few Minutes Later

Karin wears a smile as she chuckles, while Ganju has sad tears of joy at the recollection of his brother.

Kukaku smirks as she concludes the tale, "…I never let him lay his hands on fireworks again after that. His skill with them made Ganju look like a pro, even back then."

"Hey—!", Ganju pouts, once more having his skills in fireworks crafting being questioned.

The young Shinigami smiles, "In any case, Kaien does sound like he was a good person… he reminds me a lot of my own brother…"

Karin becomes silent at this, looking off into the distance, wearing a face of guilt.

Ganju frowns and looks away while Kukaku softens her gaze and pats her cousin on the back.

After a long moment, the Shiba woman speaks, "It's getting late. We should show you to the room you'll be staying in… Ganju."

The man nods, "I'm on it."

Ganju rushes into the residence, seemingly making preparations. The two female cousins share another moment of silence before they both jump off the roof and enter the residence as well.

Inside

Kukaku guides Karin through the halls of the residence before reaching a certain room, "This used to be Kaien's room."

The young Shinigami opens her mouth to protest but is cut off by her cousin.

"Oh no, I'm not hearing any objections. My brother would be mad at me if I made our cousin sleep outside! So just go the hell to sleep!", the woman snaps at her younger cousin, which for some reason comes off as comforting to the girl.

Karin bows her head, "Thank you, Kukaku…"

Kukaku's eyes widen slightly before she looks off to the side, "Don't mention it. It really is the least I could do."

Suddenly Ganju opens the door of the room and comes out, which causes Karin to flinch.

"The room is all good to go! I'll see you tomorrow, Karin!", the man calls out as he fumbles down the hall.

"He doesn't want you to see him get all emotional… you understand, being our brother's room and all…", the bandaged woman explains her brother's odd behavior.

The Shinigami rubs her eyes, starting to succumb to her fatigue, which her cousin notes. Kukaku promptly guides the girl to the futon in the middle of the room. As soon as Karin lies on the futon, her eyes start to close as she drifts off to sleep.

While Kukaku exits the room, she mutters something under her breath, "I won't let you meet the same fate as my brother… don't throw away your life recklessly, Karin…"

Hueco Mundo

White soars through the dark skies of Hueco Mundo, his eyes set on his prey. Currently, he is pursuing other, winged Adjuchas, although these ones are far more bird-like than the dragon, based on their feathers. White struggles to keep up with them, his reduced speed due to his Respira wound holding him back. The dragon narrows its eyes in frustration as the birds get further and further from him.

He groans, "Damnit! If only I could use my Sonido without expending energy…!"

Suddenly, as if prompted, the dragon hears a distorted voice speak, "Too weak..."

Visions of a buzzing or perhaps flashing figure race through the dragon's mind. The figure is humanoid and completely black, except for a white Hollow-like mask. It has armor, blades for arms, and two forward-facing horns that protrude out of the sides of its head, akin to the horns the dragon has. It continues moving at high speeds nearly invisible to the naked eye before it stops moving, although its exact features are still fuzzy to the dragon. It howls to the sky—a bestial and unnatural-sounding cry, which unnerves the dragon somewhat, as if it is listening to some kind of eldritch abomination. The figure stares at the dragon, peering into its very mental essence through its shining red eyes.

The creature opens its mouth, uttering in a distorted voice reminiscent of the dragon's own, "Speed... needs no energy..."

It then immediately continues to move effortlessly at high speeds as it assaults another figure, which is even more hazy to White to the point that he can't tell what it is.

Returning from his thoughts, White instinctually follows the lead of the figure, his eyes dilating as he does. The dragon suddenly disappears with the buzz of Sonido before cutting off the winged creatures who were previously in front of him. The birds all come to an abrupt halt, horror shining in their eyes.

White practically snickers under his mask as he utters, "Got ya..."

The birds attempt to turn around and leave, but before they can, White punctures one with his clawed hand, causing them to freeze in fear. The dragon then devours the captured bird, causing blood to spurt from the bird's corpse, which hangs limply within his jaws. White swallows before the bird's remains can dissolve, causing the bird to instead merge with him. The dragon sets his sights briefly on the other birds once more before immediately lunging at them, brutally tearing them apart one by one like their brethren before.

Author's Note:

I felt like there needed to be a chapter dedicated to building up Karin's relationship with her cousins, as I have certain plot points planned later on that I don't think will hit as hard without this.

Also, it's just a shame that we don't get any interactions between the Shiba siblings and Ichigo's sisters in canon—actually, we don't even get them interacting with Isshin (at least in the manga)!

In case anyone was wondering; yes, that was a Blue Lock reference.

Lastly, for those who don't know, from the Light Novels, it is stated that Sonido doesn't use up any of the user's Reiatsu, which makes it the best among Flash Step, Bringer's Light, and Hirenkyaku. Now, we've only seen this in the case of Espada's like Grimmjow and Luppi, so I've decided to expand upon the lore a bit in this story by making it so only those who have mastered Sonido can use it efficiently enough to not use up their Reiatsu. White, in this chapter, instinctually came to understand how to go about doing this as a means of preserving as much of his life force as possible while hunting the birds.