Divergent paths.
We begin our story in the Kurosaki household located in karakura town.
The Kurosaki family is just enjoying their dinner and isshin is beating up ichigo again despite yuzu's protest. Karin couldn't care less and acts like everything's fine.
To recap, the Kurosakis have strange spiritual powers. Yuzu can feel the presence/see vague outlines of spirits but can't see the full picture, Karin and Ichigo can see them just fine. Isshin is mystery.
The Kurosaki kids prepare for dinner but unlike in canon where Karin, Isshin and Yuzu stay downstairs while Ichigo heads for bed, the three Kurosaki kids decide to head upstairs as their father cries over their dead mother's poster.
As the twins brush their teeth and put on their pajamas, they hear a loud commotion downstairs and rush to see what's happened. They see their unconscious father being held by a hollow. The twins are naturally scared upon seeing such a monstrous beast, yet part of them wants to help their father.
Yuzu is going to freak out but Karin keeps her mouth shut as they slowly back away to think of a plan to rescue their dad. Their brother ichigo comes rushing down the staircase and asks them if they're okay. They said their fine but some monster's got their dad.
Ichigo tells them to hide somewhere until it all blows over as he rushes to confront the monster. The twins tell him it's suicide and he shouldn't do it but their please fall on deaf ears, forcing them to chase their brother and potentially save his life.
Ichigo tries everything to get the monster to back off but nothing works. Before the monster could reach their brother, Rukia slices the arm holding isshin and suggest that the three kids run.
The twins flee but Ichigo refuses and dares the hollow to attack him instead. Rukia takes the brunt of the bite meant for Ichigo and is unable to continue fighting the monster.
Karin tries to step in and save both of them but she is caught in the monster's grip. All hope seems lost and Yuzu couldn't bear anymore of it. Just then, her quincy powers manifest and she manages to pierce fishbone d in the arm, forcing it to drop Karin.
This surprises everyone around the area, including yuzu herself. It seemed she did it on instinct though because she is unable to do that trick again and freezes like a deer in headlights at the sight of the monster coming closer.
Just like in canon, Ichigo becomes a soul reaper and takes out fishbone d.
The two young girls rush to their brother's side to check his pulse. To their relief, he's still alive.
Karin tells Yuzu to help her take Ichigo to his room and tend to any potential wounds he may have sustained tonight, then they should come back downstairs and do the same to their father.
Rukia intervenes and says that won't be necessary. She heals their father with a kido technique and his wounds are gone. Unfortunately, due to Ichigo taking her powers she's left exhausted from the effort and Karin and Yuzu rush to help her up.
Rukia takes his opportunity to try and spray them with the memory wiping device, Karin notices it at the last second and kicks the can away from them. It falls into the sewers and explodes.
Karin is angry at Rukia for trying to gas them when they're just trying to help her! She wants answers and she wants them now!
Who is she? What did she want with their brother?! Where did she come from?!
Out of kido and without much of an alternative option, Rukia relents and explains everything.
She explains who the Shinigami are and what their job is and what happened to Ichigo.
Naturally, such a long winded explanation was too much for the young girls to process in one night.
Hollows, Soul reapers, Soul Society, their brother being one of these Shinigami, It was a lot to take in.
Rukia sighs and expresses that they should have just let her wipe their memories and spare them the drama.
This just angers Karin even more: WIPE THEIR MEMORIES?! AND ACT LIKE NONE OF THIS HAPPENED?!
THEIR BROTHER IS NOW WRAPPED UP IN SOME SPIRITUAL BULLCRAP AND THEY WANT TO MAKE SURE HE CAN MAKE IT OUT ALIVE!
THEY ALREADY LOST THEIR MOTHER WHEN THEY WERE YOUNG, THEY WANT TO MAKE SURE THEIR BROTHER DOESN'T LOSE HIS LIFE TOO!
Rukia is taken aback by the sudden outburst from Karin and swears she saw tears forming before it dissipates. Whatever happened to their mother must have been gravely serious enough for them to not want to lose their brother too.
Rukia apologizes and says she just didn't want to burden them with knowledge of such horrors.
Karin calms down and apologizes for her emotional outburst. She's just really scared of losing Ichigo. She thanks Rukia for coming to his rescue.
Then they hear a voice in the distance and turn to see Urahara. Nobody here knows about Urahara so he just introduces himself as just a passerby on his way to get some groceries when he saw the hollow showdown.
Rukia is shocked to learn that this guy somehow knows about soul reapers too. Urahara offers her a gigai to hide in for the time being until her powers return. As for the two Kurosakis, he has somethings to explain to them about Yuzu's strange abilities she displayed just a few moments ago...