Kukiko awoke with a gasp, her hand immediately grasping her reeling head. Looking around, she noticed the familiar decor and scent of Kisuke's shop; she laid on a comfortable futon in the spare room. She slowly sat up, putting her arms around herself; she felt so unnerved it disturbed her. Her head felt so foggy at the moment she didn't realize the door was open and Ururu was calling Kisuke. She felt so tired and her body became so heavy all of a sudden; she slumped back down and fell asleep before Kisuke arrived.

The second time Kukiko woke up she felt much better, but something was missing. Kisuke felt unbearably hot, she kicked off the blankets as she groaned loudly. She turned her head to see Kisuke sitting against the wall happily.

"Urahara, what was that and why is it so damn hot in here?" The man smiled at the girl's harsh tone,

"That, my dear, would be up to you to decide, but why don't you ask your father first?" Kukiko gave him a glare, but rose none the less.

"I still don't understand why I even came here and now you're making me leave? Stupid old man." She let out a sigh as she came to her feet, glaring, but it wasn't as cold as she wanted it to be. She loved the old man like an uncle after all, even when he's being secretive.

When she arrived home, Uryū was face to face with her,

"Where have you been? You just vanished when we took you home to rest. You shouldn't be walking around after collapsing like that. Father is furious and..." He sighed, pushing up his glasses as he moved in to hug her.

"Don't ever do that again."

Ryūken came storming down the stairs not a moment later, but he paused, almost as if shocked before he recovered and spoke,

"Kukiko Ishida, where were you? I want an answer this instant." She gave a weary smile that startled her father,

"Don't worry, I was at Kisuke Urahara's shop." Her attempt at a smile failed and revealed her confusion and concern,

"Father, we need to talk." Ryūken gave his daughter a knowing look as he brought both his children into his study.

The room was silent as Kukiko chose her words carefully,

"Father, I'm going to ask you something and I want the truth." Ryūken looked to his daughter and sighed, but nodded as he ran a hand through his hair. Kukiko took a deep breath as she explained her situation,

"I laid in my room when you brought me home and Yoruichi, Urahara's friend, appeared and took me to the shop. The transfer student was there. I know you said to stay away from him, but I truly didn't know he would be there. Yoruichi just said that Urahara has been meaning to speak with me about something important and that important thing happened to be a katana." Her father placed his head in his hands, knowing the rest without her speaking.

"My dear daughter, I prayed this day would never come. I knew that day was today when I felt your spiritual pressure." She furrowed her brows,

"What's wrong with my spiritual pressu-" her sentence was interrupted by a loud explosion.

An inhuman scream echoed in her mind and all around them as a large, white hand proceeded into the room, followed by a plain face with an opened, salivating mouth. Both Uryū and Ryūken pulled out their bows and fired at the creature, producing an ear splitting howl. Kukiko could only stand frozen, eyes wide as her father and brother fought the monster with habitual ease, but none of them saw the second Hollow behind Kukiko.

She felt her body tense as a shiver crawled down her spine, Kukiko slowly turned around. The second Hollow was inches from her; she could feel its hot breath on her flesh as an un-natural scream penetrated the air. Her knees locked up as she heard gasps from behind her.

"Run!" The unison voice of her father and brother echoed around her, but she couldn't force her legs to move nor her eyes to even look away from the monstrosity before her.
As the Hollow inched closer she managed to squeeze her eyes shut, but a flash of white entered her mind at that same moment and a feeling of safety enveloped her. Her eyelids snapped open to see Toshiro slash open the skull of the inhuman entity. It dissolved into the air with a harsh cry; leaving nothing behind as its slayer floated softly to the floor. Relief filled her as she felt her legs give out and she fell to the floor with a sigh. Uryū came to her side, glaring at the small boy in front of her, but before he could growl a curse at him Kukiko spoke,

"What was that? W-Why... Why do I feel like I've seen that thing before?" Her pallid features were evident in the moon light seeping in from the broken walls. Her eyes were unfocused as she looked to Toshiro, he stepped towards her, but his path was blocked by a refulgent, blue arrow. The owner of the arrow was the stolid Ryūken, his glasses shaded his eyes, but his voice held the anger that should be reflecting in them,

"Stay away from my daughter." Toshiro looked to him with a glare. He bowed as he sheathed his sword, glancing at Kukio before flash stepping away into the night. Kukiko looked to her family with disbelief,

"He saved me. He saved me and you send him away like he's one of those monsters." She gestured to the empty area where the Hollow once stood.

"What's wrong with you? What's going on? No one tells me anything!" She felt anger put strength in her legs as she jumped up and ran to where she knew she would get answers. When Kukiko arrived at her destination Yoruichi was waiting at the door, an expecting look on her face. The purple haired female smiled as she opened the door for her guest, leading her into a back room where Kisuke awaited her. Kukiko rushed to him as she spoke quickly,

"Start talking, now. This is no longer a game nor is it funny." Her voice held a serious tone as she loomed in front of him. The man under her gaze sighed before looking up, his eyes sharp and perceptive.

"Sit down then, this will be a long night." Her muscles relaxed as she resigned onto the floor, but she managed to ask one question before Kisuke started,
"Where did you put that katana you let me see the other day?" She felt a little embarrassed, but that sword had been on her mind all evening. Kisuke gave her a small smile as he beckoned Ururu to fetch it for him. When the young girl re-entered the room, all Kukiko saw was the pure ebony and ruby katana. It filled her vision and she unconsciously reached for it; feeling the smooth, almost soft sheath. Kisuke could see the sword was humming with joy at Kukiko's very touch, a blue-silver aura enwrapping around it. Kisuke cleared his throat to get the girl's attention. She looked up to him, the dreamy expression leaving her face as she offered a small apology.

He showed a smile before closing his eyes,
"Kukiko Hitsugaya. That is your true name." A sharp pain struck the inner depths of her mind, making her flinch. She brought a hand to cradle her head as she looked to Kisuke, her features scrunched in obvious pain.
"It seems like the suppression of your memories are starting to un-ravel, so this conversation might be painful, but please bear through it. You need to remember." She slammed her fist onto the table,
"What the fuck are you talking about? True name? What does that mean? I'm Kukiko Ishida, damn it." She cursed as she brought her hand back to her cranium for comfort.

"I know you think that, but it's not true. Toshiro Hitsugaya is your real family; your brother." The name floated in her mind and an immense sense of familiarity grasped her. She shook her aching head as she recalled the comforting flash of white she saw at that time.
"Tha-That's the white haired boy, right? No one told me his name till now. Toshiro Hitsugaya." The name rolled off her lips smoothly as the pain in her head increased. She squeezed her eyes shut as she turned away from Kisuke.
"Who is he really? I saw him kill one of those monsters." She couldn't help her voice quivering as she spoke. Her eyes went wide with remembrance as she straightened and turned back to him, leaning into the table,
"Aw, Kisuke, that's right! I saw these weird, tall monsters with holes in their chests and Toshir-Hitsugaya-san flew in and killed it." Kisuke nodded, no hint of surprise on his face,
"Yes, those are called Hollows and Toshiro is a Soul Reaper. He isn't just any Soul Reaper though; he's the squad ten captain."

Kukiko's ears began to ring as her mind pulsated furiously, she almost didn't hear the last of his sentence."You, Kukiko, are the tenth division co-captain of the thirteen court guard squads." She brought her head to her knees with a loud groan as her mind made a tumultuous uproar inside of her mind, but just before she though she wouldn't be able to take anymore of the harsh pain that filled her, everything went white. The immense pain and ringing left her and a feeling of serenity took its place. A warm feeling wrapped itself around her as tears filled her eyes; for the first time since she can remember she felt somehow whole.

The sound of snapping washed the field of white from her vision; she blinked rapidly a few times before looking around herself. She was sitting in Kisuke's room, her knees close to her chest, and slacked features that were starring at nothing.
"What?" The dumbfounded word was all she could manage as she looked at the fingers in front of her face and then to their owner.
"Kisuke, what was that? I…Where am… Where's Toshiro-Aniki?" She gasped at her words, touching her face; she was surprised to feel a warm wetness under her shaking fingers.

She realized that she wasn't just crying, but smiling wholeheartedly as memories of Toshiro flashed through her mind. She could remember her brother, her precious family. Even parts of her memory that she could never reach before was getting closer. Those memories were still blurry, but she felt content in the fact some had resurfaced at felt her brows furrow as a thought popped into her mind,
"Wait. Why couldn't I remember Aniki?" Her eyes laid on Kisuke in which he gave a wry smile,
"Kisuke, what's wrong with my memories? Why were they suppressed? What's going on?" Her bombardment of questions did little to get her answers as Kisuke put his elbow on the table and rested his head in his hand.

"Well, only you know that, so please don't bite old uncle Kisuke's head off, okay?" Kukiko slumped down to the ground, her hands over her eyes,
"You're of no help as always, old man, always playing games." She sighed as she hopped to her feet.
"I still don't understand what a Soul Reapers is or whether I'm a 'captain', but I do know that I remember Toshiro-Aniki, so my answers must lie with him." She was about to walk out of the door when Kisuke called her name,
"Kukiko, this will probably help." He threw the black katana that had lain on the table. She caught it with ease, but looked from him to the sword in confusion,
"This isn't mine. I can't possibly take it." Kisuke shook his head as he waved her words off,
"Someone asked me to hold this for her, but I think it's time to give it back. It'll help you in the long run, so always have it on you." He tilted his head as he spoke, giving her a kind smile as she grasped the hilt tightly.
"Thanks, Kisuke. I will." She bowed her head slightly before tying the soft, red sash over her chest and left the shop.

The katana hummed happily once more as it clutched to Kukiko's back in pride.