Unfolding the Truth

Summary: Karin ends up in Ishida's father's hospital and gets herself in danger while helping some ghosts, causing Ryuuken and even Isshin to step into action.

(SEQUEL/SIDE-Story to 'Private Kidou Practise' and 'Life with an Arrancar') Ichi/Rukia, Inoue/Ishida, Hitsu/Hina/Karin

Spoilers: up to manga 323 and taking place some months after 'Life with an Arrancar'

Rating: K+ (but may change in the following chapters)

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or any of its characters.

A/N: Big thanks to Vi for the review, not only on this fanfiction but also on its prequels.

But a few more comments would be appreciated. Even when you don't like my story please tell me what's wrong.

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Chapter 2

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Silence has settled over the Kurosaki clan and Rukia sat down next to the patient looking guilty. She grasped the other girl's hand and squeezed it lightly becoming her attention. "Karin-chan, I'm sorry."

Confusion was evident on the younger girl's face. "Why, Rukia-chan? I don't understand?"

Sighing the shinigami continued. "Today in the morning you told me you had this stomach ache and I just said that it was ok and you should go to school. I'm really sorry."

"Rukia…" Karin returned the squeeze reassuring the other girl. "You didn't know. It's not your fault."

Isshin was a little taken aback by the display of guilt of his adopted daughter. "Rukia-chan, you are no doctor. You couldn't know. As Karin said it's not your fault."

Looking up to the man she argued back. "I just played it down telling her she would get her period."

"NANI?!" All colour drained from Isshin's face. "M-m-m-my sweet little innocent baby daughter…." Tears sprang to his eyes. "That can't be! Oh, Kami, my girls are too young for that!"

Annoyed the Kurosaki children watched their father run in circles in the room becoming more hysterical every passing moment. Ichigo turned to Rukia. "You had to say this, haven't you?!"

Yuzu with her kind heart tried to calm her father. "Otou-san, we don't have our periods yet."

But to her dismay this caused him to sink to his knees begging to God. "Oh, Kami, my baby girls know of those words!"

"Of course we know." Karin ignored her father and concentrated on the tv, when a well known screech echoed through the room. "Hourou. Hourou."

Rolling his eyes Ichigo's hand went into Kon's mouth and brought the pill to his own mouth. His soul separated from his body. "I will go. You all stay here. Have an eye on Nel!"

Before he vanished in the wall he shook his head over his father's behaviour, not knowing that his father was aware about his son's change.

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The clock stroke 6 pm when Ryuuken arrived to his shift in the hospital. He placed his map on his desk and frowned.

Feeling a strange, yet familiar spiritual pressure Ryuuken left his office in a hurry and followed the increasing feeling to the children's medical unit, where he ended up in front of a patient's room. The irritating thing was that he could feel some more or less strong reiatsus next to the one that troubled him and he waited a moment in complete silence in front of the door. He knew two of those reiatsus and this knowledge didn't lessen his suspicion that something was wrong. 'Does HE dare to fight in my hospital!?' The white haired doctor listened harder, but couldn't hear any noise.

After a moment he opened the door carefully. His unreadable face betrayed his curiosity about the reason of HIM being here and the hollow-like spiritual pressure.

To his surprise he saw the small Arrancar sitting on the shinigami's lap with the other Gods of Death next to it, chatting with the patient in the hospital bed.

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Isshin had felt the Quincy's presence and was now a little nervous his old friend could blow his cover. He locked eyes with the other man, while this approached the group his eyes never leaving Nel. Instead of attacking the girl Ryuuken's hand clasped the medical records of Karin and glanced on the report. 'Kurosaki Karin….'

"May I have a word with you Kurosaki….-san."

Relieved Isshin followed the doctor out of the room. "Sure, doc."

"They still don't know?!" Snorting Ryuuken shook his head. "You are a terrible father."

"You have to tell! At least my son still speaks with me!"

The Quincy's eyes bore into the little girl on Ichigo's lap. "Anyway, I don't know what you have to do with that Arrancar, and I really don't wanna know it, but I WANT it out of my hospital at once! Otherwise I will take care of it!"

"Yeah, fine, just cool down. She won't eat any of the souls here." Isshin's view wandered over the hallway and came to a stop on the ghost of a little boy, not much older than Nel looked. "You should really do something about those souls before your hospital is crowded."

"Isn't that your job?"

"You know I don't work for them anymore."

"I see, now you have a Hollow kindergarten."

Chuckling Isshin turned away from the other man and re-entered his daughter's hospital room.

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The raven haired shinigami watched the two doctors intently, when she felt Karin's eyes on her. "Karin-chan?!"

Before the girl in question fixed her eyes back on her father and the white haired man, she noted her brother's trademark frown. "What do you think, Rukia-chan, Ichi-nii?"

"This isn't a normal patient-doctor talk. They seem to know each other." Ichigo concluded.

"But that's not everything. This doctor has a rather strong reiatsu."

The orange haired teen locked eyes with Rukia surprised. "Really?!"

Astonished Karin looked away from the talking men. "Don't tell me, Ichi-nii, you can't feel it?" All eyes where now on the boy.

Even Nel contributed her two cents to the conversation of the 'grown-ups'. "Sat white man feel yummy, Itsygo."

A little embarrassed Ichigo concentrated on the physician. "Now that you say it…. Yeah it is strong." Nel's face was covered with doubts, so were Rukia's and the twin's. "I really feel it now!... You can believe me!" The teen's cheeks flushed.

"Sure, Ichigo." Rukia turned her attention back to the open door. "Your father is coming back."

As soon as her father approached the group Yuzu asked worried. "Is something wrong with Karin?"

Isshin patted the blond's head. "Oh no, the doctor just said that Karin needs her rest and we should go home now." With that said he retrieved his jacket from the chair and took Kon from Yuzu's arms. "Maybe it's best we leave Yuzu's plushy here with you, so you won't be all alone and afraid in the night."

"I'm no baby!" Karin tossed Kon back into her sister's arms, but her father placed him on the other end of the bed – out of Karin's reach.

While hugging his ill daughter he shoved one of his 'good luck charms' under her pillow. "My strong little daughter will stay so far away from Daddy's care. Don't be afraid, Daddy will come first thing in the morning!"

"Don't you have a clinic to run?!" Karin really needed her rest – from her father.

Ignoring their father's cries Yuzu hugged her sister goodbye and her brother and Rukia followed her example. "Get well, Karin."

When Ichigo turned to leave Nel jumped out of his arms and onto the bed, hugging Karin around the neck. "Ged well, Kalin."

After a moment holding the child, Karin broke the embrace. "Thanks…. you all. Don't worry. I'm fine." With that Nel jumped back in Ichigo's arms and the whole family left the room and the hospital under the vigilant eyes of Ryuuken.

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Since the moment the girls turned the lights off Rukia could hear the other girl turning from one side of the bed to the other one. A little worried the raven haired left her own warm bed and walked the short distance to the blond's bed. "What's wrong, Yuzu-chan?"

"Rukia-nee-chan?!" Her adopted sister sat down next to her on the bed and encouraged her to tell what's nagging on her. "It's the first time Karin and I are separated during the night. Even on school trips we shared a room."

"Don't worry, Yuzu-chan, in a few days your sister will be back and until then we will visit her everyday after school."

Rukia's cell phone signalled that the girls-talk was over. "A Hollow?"

Picking up the device and studying the orders, the raven haired shinigami heard the window open. From there Ichigo climbed into his sister's room with a sleeping Nel in arm. Before Rukia could take her modified soul, he placed the child on Karin's bed and covered her with the blanket. A moment before the female shinigami swallowed the pill, she told Yuzu. "Nel sleeps in Karin's bed. Pyon will take care of you two. We will be back soon." With that her soul separated from her gigai and Pyon took control over the artificial body.

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A/N: Next chapter Karin will investigate some weird noises at night in the hospital. I think this story might have 6 or 7 chapters.

Tell me if I should keep writing or forget this story.

R&R please!