Life before her mother's death was simply heaven. It was no exaggeration, no misinterpretation of a child's mind. It wasn't something she made up in her mind as a fragment to cherish her mother's memory like the memorial poster that dons their living room courtesy of her father. It was simply heaven, perfection. There wasn't a day where they weren't happy, every single day filled up with so much love, so much warmth and happiness revolving around the beautiful being that was Masaki Kurosaki even the tears they shed were of happiness and then…4 years after her birth; she was gone…just like that.
Yuzu's safe heaven becomes the closet where she hides in to cry out her sorrows at night to keep her from burdening her grief-stricken father. 3 months after her mother's death she had forced herself to learn how to cook, bandages always covering her fingers and palms as the proof of her efforts and even the food tastes good, not delicious as her mother's had. But it's close enough. She would fill in the shoes Masaki left behind; they were big shoes for a child, but Yuzu shed that title having no time to play focusing in house chores and making sure her siblings to have a meal before they went to bed.
Isshin comes out of the Clinic with a beard on and heavy eyes – he sits on the table and eats the meal she left for him and breaks down into tears, smiling as he ate the Dinner. "Thank you for being so brave" he whispers as he sits by her bed while she pretends to sleep, he tucks her in with her favorite pink rabbit kissing her forehead and doing the same to Karin and he leaves the room. The next morning he is his usual eccentric self, sweeping in a hug and sobbing dramatically when Karin squirms out of his embrace.
When Ichigo doesn't show up after school, he offers his hands saying it was time to do what he should have from the very beginning. At the riverbank, Ichigo finally comes into terms with their mother's death and cries with them while their father holds them so tightly while Karin sheds tears for the last time. Even when she broke her leg she did not cry. Ichigo becomes their fierce protector after the neighborhood kids bully them for being orphans. Yuzu has becomes the homemaker. Isshin is a terrible father.
9 years has done nothing to change her thoughts about her mother, not after finding out the truth about her roots from their father who stares at the ground with a burdened gaze. Karin is shaking to her left, her whole body is trembling and Yuzu herself is unaware of her own reaction until hot tears run down her face while an ice cold feelings wells up in her gut. Rage. Her hands ball up into fists until blood is drawn – Ichigo has been thrown into another War he's too young for again to face the man who caused their mother's death and Yuzu grinds her teeth tighter.
Karin looks at her terrified and even their father looks scared – she stands and leaves silently; she doesn't stand to be in that house a second longer. So many secrets, so many lies they knew she hated them. It was like they couldn't trust each other, she understood if Ichigo didn't trust their father after the Winter War. How could he have kept something like this from them!? They weren't even quite human to begin with, she knew her mother wouldn't have hidden her heritage and it only serves to anger her.
Karin runs past her heading up the hill where she used to meet up with Hitsugaya to play soccer and Yuzu watches her go as the storm that welled up inside of her cools down. There was no use in pointing fingers, but she's never felt so angry in her life so it wears her out and she sits on a nearby bench by the Karakura Honchou Area watching people walk by. She wondered what her life would be like if her mother was still around, would she see Ichigo off with a smile to Soul Society? She probably would…she married a Shinigami and gave him three children, after all.
She realizes something she hadn't when her thoughts were clouded up, there were people in white robes, for some reason the others couldn't see them and the blue cross in their clothes makes her heart stop painfully. They were here for them…they defienetly where and her father was home…alone…Yuzu shoots to her feet running towards the Hospital, Ishida-sensei had to be there! He wasn't. She resists the urge to cry in frustration as her father doesn't pick up the Clinic phone, or his cell phone.
Why did this kind of thing have to happen to them!?
Yuzu panted as she hid in the alleyway, the Quincies were surrounding the house so she jumps over the wall walking past the neighbor's house reaching her house she lands on the grass soundlessly risking a glance to the front. Karin was just up street with labored breathing, her twin nods at her and she shakes her head holding her hand up.
Karin's frustrated glance made her hurry, opening the bathroom window, she climbed in through and smiled blessing Urahara Kisuke for his 'safety measures'. Yuzu pulled out the tile and as her smile grew, taking out the duffle bag she opened it grabbing a black grenade before opening the door carefully and slipped out the kitchen's window. Crawling over the neighbors wall, she ran around the block across the street to reach Karin.
Handing her a pair of goggles she pulls out the safety pin and throws the grenade at the end of the street. A dark blue gas filled the area, tapping the side of the goggles many numbers and codes appeared on them. They were average Reiatsu in comparison to theirs and once there was a lock on she shared a nod with Karin. "Don't hold back." Yuzu blessed Urahara's play dates with Ururu and her brother's paranoia after the Winter War when he gave Karin and her lessons in hand to hand combat and swordsmanship. They were far from weak.
She wouldn't let anyone rob another parent from her again.