They were catching up.
Good.
Noticing the disturbance behind him, Yasutora Sado quickened his pace up the stone steps. Most of the time, this place should have been deserted.
The moment his foot landed on the platform, Yasutora Sado came to an abrupt stop.
"Ichigo-aniki's… friend?"
Karin Kurosaki recognized Yasutora Sado. He was the one who had come to Kurosaki Clinic injured last time.
"The parakeet guy."
"Ichigo's sister!?"
Yasutora Sado stiffened in shock. He glanced past her and only then realized she had been playing soccer here with her classmates.
Not only were there people here, there were a lot of kids.
"What are you doing running all the way out here—"
Before Karin Kurosaki could finish, Yasutora Sado suddenly scooped her up.
BOOM!
A massive fist slammed down violently onto the spot where they had been standing just moments ago.
Karin Kurosaki stared at the monster descending from above, disbelief written all over her face.
"Th-that… what is that?"
It stopped moving?
Yasutora Sado stared at the vague, indistinct mass. He couldn't see it clearly, but he could still make out its basic movements.
Was it observing his reaction? Or searching for a weakness?
Damn it… if only I could see it a little more clearly.
"Not again…"
Sweat formed on Karin Kurosaki's forehead as a terrible memory surfaced.
"Another one of those monsters…"
Yasutora Sado looked at her in disbelief.
"You can see it?"
"What do you mean…"
Karin Kurosaki kept her eyes locked in the monster's direction.
"Isn't it obvious? Watch out behind you!"
There was no time to think. Yasutora Sado grabbed Karin Kurosaki and leapt aside.
A thunderous crash erupted behind them. Carrying her, Yasutora Sado steadied himself and turned toward the source of the sound—
But the blurry mass was gone.
Gone?
Where did it go?
"Uncle, where are you looking!"
Karin Kurosaki shouted urgently.
"It's on the right! Run!"
Yasutora Sado immediately lunged forward. A violent gust of wind tore past his back, ripping his shirt apart.
"Uncle…"
Clinging to his shoulders, Karin Kurosaki spoke hesitantly.
"You can't see it, can you?"
"Only vaguely,"
Yasutora Sado answered honestly.
"It's basically the same as not seeing it at all."
"Left!"
Karin Kurosaki shouted.
"Dodge!"
Relying on years of brawling alongside Ichigo Kurosaki, and with Karin Kurosaki's warnings, Yasutora Sado shifted his footing and narrowly avoided the Hollow's attack once again.
This feeling…
Yasutora Sado remembered.
Something like this had happened before.
That time… he had been running around while carrying Yūichi Shibata.
Ichigo Kurosaki had appeared just then, just like Karin Kurosaki now, calling out the direction of the attacks.
And back then…
Yasutora Sado stepped back half a pace and swung his fist hard to the side.
That was exactly what he had done.
Thud!
The solid impact told him clearly that he had definitely hit something.
But—
Whoosh!
A violent blast of air struck him head-on, sending Yasutora Sado flying.
Holding Karin Kurosaki tightly against his chest, he rolled a full five times before finally coming to a stop.
Seeing the blood covering Yasutora Sado, Karin Kurosaki panicked.
"Uncle! Are you okay? Uncle!"
"Kurosaki!"
"Who's this uncle covered in blood?"
"What is even going on?"
Their soccer friends gathered closer, voices filled with concern.
"Y-you idiots! Don't come over here!"
Karin Kurosaki screamed at the top of her lungs.
"Run!"
"What's wrong…"
"We were worried about you…"
"Seriously…"
Seeing the grotesque Hollow pounce toward her friends, Karin Kurosaki didn't have time to think. She sprinted straight toward them, trying to shove them out of harm's way.
Yasutora Sado stared at Karin Kurosaki's back as she ran forward. Blood from his forehead flowed into his eyes, staining the world before him red.
Just like back then.
["Yasutora, did you get into another fight again?"]
Faced with his grandfather's question, eight-year-old Yasutora Sado could only remain silent.
He had his own answer, but it wasn't the one his grandfather wanted to hear.
["What good does beating someone do?"]
If you beat them, you won't lose. You won't be bullied.
["And what do you gain by hurting those who once hurt you?"]
You can give back the pain you once suffered to those who caused it.
["Yasutora, you are strong."]
I know…
["You are tall."]
I understand…
["You are perfect."]
I…
["You were born with everything the gods could grant, everything people dream of having."]
["You could go bully others. I don't know about other places, but at least in this world… that's how it is."]
I… don't want it to be like that.
["But, Yasutora…"]
["I hope you can always keep a kind heart."]
["Those massive, powerful fists of yours… what do they exist for?"]
["That is what you should be seeking."]
Yasutora Sado was never good at searching for answers.
Just like he never understood why everyone despised his mixed heritage, why he was born so tall, or how he was supposed to respond when others bullied him.
But he did know one thing. As long as he used the overwhelming strength he was born with to strike back at those who bullied him, he could protect himself.
So he did exactly that, even though it wasn't what he truly wanted.
Until today.
In the instant Karin Kurosaki rushed forward to protect her friends, Yasutora Sado finally found the answer.
What he wanted was not to hurt those who hurt him.
What he wanted was to protect those who protected him.
His fists were not large so they could harm others.
His body was not tall so it could intimidate others.
They existed to protect.
Yasutora Sado rose to his feet and clenched his fists.
I understand…
All of this… I understand it all.
So…
Just a little more.
Please, grant me your power!
A howling gale erupted skyward. Violent force met the Hollow's massive fist head-on, blasting it apart into fragments along with its arm and part of its shoulder.
Amid the flying dust and debris, Yasutora Sado stood in front of the children, shielding them.
Black armor streaked with crimson patterns wrapped around his massive right arm. At last, Yasutora Sado could clearly see the monster that had been pursuing him. As the Hollow roared and charged straight at him, Yasutora Sado clenched his fist and drove it directly into the Hollow's mask.
The Hollow's furious roar cut off abruptly.
Its head was crushed with brutal force, bursting apart like an overripe watermelon, spraying fragments of flesh in every direction.
"Chad! Karin!"
Ichigo Kurosaki arrived just in time to see the Hollow's body dissipate. He let out a long breath, his heart finally easing.
"Thank goodness…"