Night arrived quickly after they parted ways, leaving the day behind.
Shirou made a meal for his family like usual. Karin and Yuzu especially enjoyed his food. His food was the best. They loved it so much, it was a delight for them.
And, of course, his father was also delighted with his food. Although he said that his wife, Masaki's cooking was better, it was clear he also enjoyed his cooking very much. He even complimented him sometimes.
It made him feel happy whenever they praised his cooking, and so he kept doing it everyday, hoping to make everyone happy and enjoy his food.
The meal time was the best part of their day. Everyone would sit around the table together, talking about what happened during the day, sharing their happiness and worries.
And then...
Creak-
"Ugh..."
A groan came from the suddenly opened door.
Shirou, who was just about to eat his food, stopped and stared at the entrance.
There stood a figure, holding the doorknob.
He could immediately tell it was his brother, Kurosaki Ichigo.
His orange-haired head poked out, his face pale and his eyes were tired. His expression showed exhaustion. His shoulders were drooped as if carrying heavy weight.
"Oh, Ichigo!"
"Ichi-nii, you're back!"
"Welcome back, Ichigo!"
As soon as they saw their son and brother, Isshin and his sisters greeted him. Shirou turned to him and nodded slightly.
"Are you hungry?" He asked in a gentle voice, "Sit down, I will make your favorite dish."
Ichigo didn't answer. Instead, he closed the door behind him and walked towards them, his eyes staring blankly ahead. He didn't think his family would be so unbothered by the fact he returned home after 2 days looking so disheveled.
"Hey," Ichigo called out, drawing everyone's attention to him.
"What is it, Ichi-nii?" Karin asked as she chewed the meat, wondering what was going on.
Ichigo sighed deeply before saying anything, "Nothing, I just feel tired and want to eat my dinner... What's it for today? It's a steak, I guess?"
"Yes!" Shirou answered cheerfully, a big smile plastered on his face. "Your favorite."
Ichigo didn't answer immediately, instead, he just nodded slightly and sat down in his seat. He picked up his chopstick, ready to eat.
Everyone looked at him worriedly, especially Karin and Yuzu. They looked at each other and nodded silently. It seemed they had agreed on something. They both knew something happened to their brother, but they decided not to say anything because he stayed silent.
But seeing him so depressed, they had to do something about it.
Karin was first to speak up, "Hey, Nii-san, you look like shit, are you alright?"
"Yeah, Nii-chan. You look like you're going to fall asleep anytime soon." Yuzu said as she took a sip from her cup.
"I am fine," Ichigo replied quietly, his eyes glued on his plate, not even sparing them a glance. "It's just... Well, nevermind..."
Silence followed afterward, and nobody dared to talk again until Shirou put another steak onto his brother's empty plate. Ichigo didn't move to eat it and continued to stare at the food in front of him. It wasn't long before Isshin finally broke the silence with his loud mouth.
"My son, Ichigo!" Isshin exclaimed excitedly as if he didn't notice the tense atmosphere. "You are a growing boy, eat well! If you don't eat, then you won't get energy to continue your new club activities!"
Ichigo didn't answer and remained silent.
"What's your new club? Baseball? Or is it tennis? Oh! I know, maybe you joined some kind of sports club, no?" Isshin continued rambling about what his son might join. "Hehehe, karate is the one you joined, right?"
"Y-Yeah." Ichigo nodded absent-mindedly, "I joined karate. I guess."
"That's good, that's good!" Isshin grinned, patting Ichigo's shoulder proudly, "Keep up your hard work, my son! You can't win without training hard!"
"...Yeah, whatever, Dad."
Isshin continued talking nonsense about the greatness of karate. Ichigo kept his gaze fixed on his plate.
The dinner soon ended and everyone returned to their usual routines.
Shirou returned to his room and started his usual training to ensure he wasn't rusty at projection and tracing.
Laying down three items in front of him: white clothes, metal pipe, and an eraser. His hand hovered above them as he chanted.
"Trace-"
Creak–
"Are you inside?"
Before he could complete his words, he turned around to the source of the voice and found his brother leaning against the doorframe. He had his hands in his pockets and stared at Shirou with his brown eyes.
"...What's wrong?"
"Can I come in? I have something to talk about."
Worries and anxiety were clear in Ichigo's voice.
Shirou was surprised to see Ichigo act so differently from his usual self. It was a side of him that he had never seen before.
He was about to answer him when he stopped himself and looked down at the items scattered around his room.
"Let me just clean this first." He said as he picked up the items, put it in his closet, and covered his table. "There, come in."
"..."
Ichigo didn't say anything and entered his room. Shirou sat down at the edge of his bed and waited patiently.
It took him a while to find words, but once Ichigo finally found his voice again, his voice came out weak, "I am... Hey, bro. What should I do?"
"Hmm? Tell me what happened." Shirou answered with a gentle voice and a warm expression on his face. "I will listen to you."
Ichigo sat next to his brother, looking at the ground with his hands on his thighs.
"It's... I have this new power now."
"Oh."
"I thought being a Shinigami was a part of my life. I thought that I would use my power to protect everyone, to protect our family from danger." Ichigo's grip tightened, his knuckles turning white.
He had been doing so well until recently. Everything changed ever since that night where Rukia got kidnapped. He felt so angry back then. He felt powerless.
His eyes turned sharp.
"But... It seems that's not the end. I have another power, one that makes me lose control and makes me act on instincts."
Shirou nodded silently as he let his brother speak, listening intently to everything Ichigo was saying.
"This power is dangerous and can destroy me. If it ever gets out of control, then I might lose myself and hurt everyone around me." His voice shook and trembled slightly. "... As such, can you make some excuse to allow me to be absent for the time being? I have some training to do, and it might be long."
Ichigo was serious and Shirou could tell by looking at his eyes that there was no doubt in his words. It seemed he made his resolve.
He looked at his brother's eyes and smiled softly, "Don't worry about that. Just focus on what you need to do and leave the rest to me. But..."
He stopped for a moment before continuing his sentence.
"But what? Is there any problem?" Ichigo asked worriedly.
"I am worried about you. You are not the only one in the family who has to carry this burden. So if you ever have trouble, please, come to me first." Shirou said as he put his hand on Ichigo's shoulder and squeezed it lightly. "I can listen and help. Don't ever hesitate."
"Thanks." Ichigo muttered and looked down on his feet. "I will keep it in mind."
Silence fell upon them once again. Both boys sat in silence, neither knowing what to say to the other.
After a while, Ichigo broke the silence.
"I'm... tired. I am going back to sleep now. Thank you, Shirou."
"No problem."
With that, Ichigo stood up and left his room, leaving him alone with his thoughts once more. He sat on the edge of the bed, staring into space as his mind wandered off to think about things that were troubling him.
Shirou's lips curled up into a frown as he stared at his window. His brother had been struggling lately, ever since his fight with Grimmjow and the hollow inside him became active, he had become distant.
He knew it was his brother's hollow, and it was the same hollow that took over his body and attacked him. It had been a long time since he had felt such a strong emotion of hatred.
A sigh escaped him.
"I hope you will get through it, Ichigo." Shirou muttered under his breath, staring up at the ceiling.
He believed his brother was strong enough to overcome any obstacle in front of him.
But at the same time, he also feared what might happen when Ichigo failed to do so. He knew that the hollowfication was a serious issue, and if he couldn't overcome it, there was no guarantee that Ichigo would survive.
He hoped his brother could survive it and come back safely. But he didn't know how long he would need.