DISCLAIMER: I do not own bleach! The only things I own are Yukina Nerru and Aritsu Nerru.
Yukina chewed her lip in thought and began to walk towards her home where only she lived, when Yuki was had just been accepted into the Shinigami Academy her twin sister Aritsu went missing, it wasn't until she had climbed the ladder of power to Captain's position that she was able to access the classified documents on her sister and learn that she had actually been exiled and had not defected her Shinigami roots. Yukina learned that her sister had been one of the first documented successful Hollowfied Shinigami. The origins of the morally corrupt experiment had not been clear at the time, but fearing the result of the experiment and the sheer power that Aritsu now held in the palm of her hand not only lead to Central Command exiling her from the Seireitei but also placing a hit on her within the Covert Ops. Aritsu was smart though—she had learned well from her sister Yuki, although being opposites her twin's constant lectures rubbed off on her—she disappeared without a trace on the day of her expulsion never to be heard from again. It was almost a hundred and fifty years before Yukina had pieced everything together and abandoned the Gotei 13 to search for her sister. She concocted a plan with her recently exiled comrades Urahara Kisuke and Tsukabishi Tessai which allowed her to escape the Seireitei and lay low in Karakura town with a set of jewelry (a necklace, two bracelets, two anklets, and a set of earrings) that masked her Reiatsu. It's been fifty years since then and there is still no sign of her sister.
She turned the corner onto Presidents Street find a black cat staring at her. The cat began to walk with her, breaking her from her reminiscence, and kept in step with Yuki perfectly.
"So you went to go visit Kisuke?" it asked while crossing an intersection with Yukina, who didn't even seem fazed by the talking cat next to her she nodded and then the cat spoke again "We might need you soon, all the help we can get actually. You know I wouldn't ask you to expose your cover unless it was absolutely necessary," The feline paused waiting for a sign from Yuki to continue.
"Aa" was her signal.
"—this is Aizen we're talking about. He was strong as it was being good, but imagine how much power he now that he possesses the Hogyoku? Everyone had been training even me." said the cat.
"And Kisuke?" the cat nodded Yukina looked shocked and accidentally dropped her keys when she went to unlock her door as they reached her apartment ", you and Urahara-san have been training?" She asked incredulously. The cat nodded and entered Yukina's home behind her ", Wow I expected this to be serious, just not AS serious as it actually is. Is Isshin going to have to fight as well? The old geezer hasn't picked up his zanpakuto in years, well actually he did when he was saving the mod souls but that was it. Yuroichi-san do you think I should train as well?"
Yuroichi licked her paw before looking up at Yukina giving her something that resembled a shrug she knew the unparalleled power that the Former 3rd Division Captain held being formerly part of her squad ", it wouldn't hurt to train, but the question is where?"
Yukina thought for a moment then sighed in defeat, "nowhere…Urahara's Shoten is booked and there is nowhere else I can go, I can't risk training with the shinigami for risk of being discovered."
Yuroichi jumped up onto Yukina's bed and sat next to her ", even I seldom know why Kisuke does the things he does, but I know that the reason he kept your presence such a tight lipped secret was because of your history if any of the shinigami knew your whereabouts, you would have been executed or imprisoned and if Aizen found out about you he would use you. It's better this way, safer for you...safer for all of us."
Yukina avoided Yuroichi's stare and sadly stood up walking into the kitchen before calling back to her ", Want some milk?" Yuroichi scampered into the kitchen which meant a yes and Yukina went to the fridge to pull out the milk carton but felt a familiar reiatsu and gasped quickly she scooped Yuroichi off the kitchen chair and threw her at the wall, but thankfully Yuroichi knew what was going on so she clawed into the wall and stayed still looking like a statue. Yukina then ran to the door and opened it "Ichigo-kun what are you doing here?" she gasped in a fake voice.
Ichigo scratched his head not even knowing himself why he bothered to come by ", Look stay away from that old creep he just wanted to see up your skirt." he warned. Yukina almost laughed but suddenly turned rigid when she saw Ichigo's eyes travel inside her home and straight towards Yuroichi ", is that..." he stopped himself from saying Yuroichi and rephrased his question "-a cat hanging on your wall?"
Yukina laughed full heartedly though it was just to cover up her nervousness, she saw from the corner of her eye Yuroichi become even more rigid ", Why yes it is, my father used to be a hunter and he stuffed his...animals?" she asked unsure if that was the word used.
"I thought your dad was dead?" Ichigo asked nonchalantly although Yukina had to resist the urge to thwart him for his calm demeanor about speaking of her deceased father her reiatsu flared a bit even with her reiatsu restraint jewelry but she kept it down although it seemed Ichigo noticed because he turned his gaze from the cat and looked at her strangely.
"He is dead, but that doesn't mean I don't want to keep things around the apartment that remind me of him. That's actually my dead cat Strawberry." she explained through semi clenched teeth and a fake grin.
Ichigo continued to gaze at her strangely but then shrugged ", that's…a little bit creepy but I gotta go, I'm going to a friend's apartment, can you tell the teacher's that I'm sick?" he asked before turning around not waiting for an answer.
"Stuffed cat?" Yuroichi asked frowning at Yukina's stupidity.
Yukina looked offended and shrugged ", what I buckled under the pressure!"
"You can handle years of intensive training, climbing up the ranks in Covert Ops with me, hollows and evil of all sorts, but you can't handle Ichigo asking you questions about a cat on your wall?...Well I'm going to go before you get anymore unexpected visitors like someone who can sense reiatsu, Ja." Yuroichi called over her shoulder as she sauntered down the stairs of the apartment complex. Yukina turned around and started to brain storm ways to train when she finally she would go to the Hollow's realm and train there by killing Hollows, she almost squealed at her plan before transforming into her soul and cutting open a gateway with Kurai-tenshi, her zanpakuto held a special ability to transport her through worlds at will. It sliced like smoothly, as opposed to when Arrancar opened the void shredding the world threads violently to get to the human realm. The slice a void of black nothingness that Yukina climbed into, the tear closed and Yukina found herself staring into the hungry faces of 75 Hollows making her genuinely smile.
She pulled out her zanpakuto again and held it ready ", Kurai-tenshi how about we sing them the last lullaby they'll ever hear? Sakebi!" she asked her sword before charging at the slew of hollows.
Meanwhile back in Karakura Town, Ichigo Kurosaki was talking to his fellow Vizard, Hirako Shinji ", there's something off with her I could have sworn I felt her reiatsu flare, when I was talking to her but isn't she not-supposed-to-have-reiatsu?" he asked while sitting on a cliff with Shinji and Hiyori.
"Yeah but can't you also, not-sense-reiatsu?" Shinji asked rudely, covering for his friend effortlessly.
Ichigo glared at him ", yeah but it was powerful I'd have to be a regular human to not sense it." Suddenly Lisa jumped to the top of the cliff.
She sat down next to Ichigo while she pulled out her erotic manga the cover making him blush furiously ", Ichigo's right I felt a strong but subtle flare of reiatsu, but just thought it was one of the shinigami losing their cool." she agreed without looking up from her manga, although Shinji still glared at her from behind Ichigo's head signaling to her that she was dead by using a finger to slice across his throat.
"I told you, and the other day she was at Old-Hat-and-clogs apartment and I could have sworn Yuroichi was at her apartment as well" Ichigo explained getting more and more suspicious the more he thought about it.
"Well it looks like you're going to be going to school tomorrow to investigate her then," Shinji sighed unable to think of a suitable lie to get her out of this tough situation.
Ichigo nodded and Hiyori stood up abruptly and threw her sandal at him ", you weakling, this is no time to go snooping you have to train!" she demanded but Ichigo brushed her off and left.
"Lisa BAKA-ON'NA, you pretty much just blew Yuki-chan's cover!" He shouted ripping the erotic manga out of her hands and throwing it roughly in her face. Yukina and he had always been close she was, after all, his third seat when he was still Captain of the 5th squad. The two had grown closer in their mutual distaste for the Seireitei.
"Nani, how?" She asked blinking in confusion.
"THAT FLARE IN REIATSU WAS HERS! BAKA, BAKA, BAKA, BAKA, BAKA!" Shinji screamed slamming the book onto her head with every word.
Ichigo stayed at Urahara's apartment that night but didn't speak of his suspicions, in the morning he went to school and found Yukina talking to her Tatsuki animatedly. He kept a close eye on her all day and soon lunch rolled by and Yukina went up to the roof, Ichigo followed her and found Yukina staring out on the town.
"Ichigo what do you suspect of me? ...I've felt your eyes on me all day." she stated her voice completely different from any other time Ichigo had heard it but he smirked nonetheless.
"Well considering you were the only one that knew I in school today...I'd say a lot." Ichigo said. Yukina turned around confused and then it occurred to her what Ichigo must have done. 'Shit' she cursed mentally, Ichigo must have changed into his shinigami form, changed his clothes, attended school, and kept a watchful eye on Yukina and followed her to see if she knew he was there. The outburst caused Kurai-tenshi to cackle in her mind, since it wasn't often that he saw his master bested by anyone, let alone a substitute shinigami.
Yukina was trapped but she began to lie her voice became higher and fake", what do you mean everyone knows you're here today Ichigo, why would I be the only one?" she asked confused, a gust of wind blew by ruffling her hair and Ichigo had to stop himself from gasping. He always felt an attraction towards her but never admitted it; secretly he was wishing she really was a shinigami.
He laughed nervously ", I was only kidding." Yukina suppressed a grin knowing that he bought her lie she smiled at him before leaving the roof. Although Ichigo stood on the roof top a while longer...how had she seen him, did she have the ability and not even realize it? He contemplated all possibilities but none of them added up, he groaned in frustration it was already the end of school.