There was no sign of Ichigo or Isshin and Karin didn't give up investigating the area, despite being a year of her Academy Graduation. Yuzu recuperated a few days after the attack. Both twins put it upon themselves to look after their sister-in-law and supported their cousins in any way they could. "I've swept through the area myself ten times Karin, there is nothing, everything was abandoned," Hitsugaya spoke feeling somewhat irritated by the girl's stubbornness.
"Dammit!" he sighed closing his eyes,
"Karin calm down, your behavior is unbefitting of a Noble," she snorted and he opened his turquoise eyes to give her a pointed look and she flopped down on the couch with an annoyed sigh, "there might not be any leads as of now, but you said so yourself; they're alive and you should be fine with that for now," her Reiatsu spiked and his eyes narrowed, "I dare you to say what you're about to," he stated coldly.
"…!" she flinched before frowning, she stood "whatever, since I'm obviously not welcomed here, I'm off," Hitsugaya stood and immediately blocked her path, "move out of my way Toshiro," Karin ground out, he stood on front of the door with his arms crossed, "Toshiro," she began her anger rolling off in waves and he wasn't far off either.
"You stupid little girl—"
"Oho~!" Matsumoto burst into the office seemingly unaware of the tension, "Karin-chan, Yuzu-chan is looking for you it looks like Orihime-chan was having trouble with Sora-kun and she has Training," she informed, "she needs you right now or Muguruma-Taichou will yell her ear off again," Karin casted the Captain one last glare and stormed out of the 10th Division, "that's unusual, did something happen?" Matsumoto asked looking at her Captain who pinched the bridge of his nose and the door where the girl had gone through.
"Nothing."
Yuzu dropped to her back completely worn out, training for her Hollowfication was difficult and her inner hollow was being more than just a little difficult and went to straight to uncooperative. Forcing her Hollow powers out against her inner hollow wore her out and Kensei usually got upset when she didn't endure more than 6 minutes and while she tried her best, he still was asking for more. Geez, what had Hirako-san been thinking? She would've rather train with him than Kensei right now!
She wondered how Ichigo did it since he had trained under all of the Vizards. Ichigo…her beloved big brother was still missing as was her father, everyone thought them dead and she knew better than that. Kisuke-san usually told her everything since they were each other's confidant, but about that matter regarding the strange Hollows and the disappearance of her father and brother he didn't like to touch that topic.
"Oi!" she was brought back to reality, the punch was closing in rapidly and her limbs were too sore to even try to dodge and she squeezed her eyes shut waiting for the painful impact only to feel nothing, "moron." Yuzu peaked with one eye, the fist had stopped millimeters from her face, she was forced to sit up and she was practically jelly falling back onto the ground, "what the hell?" Kensei grumbled as he carried the girl to her home, she meekly apologized from time to time and didn't complain about the less-than-gentleman way of carrying her as his arm held her by the waist where she hung limply.
"What the hell did you do to her?" Kukaku asked not really wanting an answer, Yuzu staggered and slumped against her cousin's back who snorted, "you're going to kill her one of these days," the woman snorted, "Kaien would've given you grief if he was…" she trailed off shaking her head. Yuzu laid in bed looking at the ceiling recalling what happened 23 years ago, the day that they had been able to prove that Aizen Sosuke was behind her brother's Hollowfication, but before that he had been her private tutor and he did not hide his true colors from her as he had with the others.
She knew he was a twisted, manipulative, selfish, cold man who wanted power and enjoyed other's torment yet the reasoning behind all that was one reason alone: he was alone. What would the others say if she told them this? That Aizen corrupted her, probably. Ichigo had said something similar when he fought the man, he said that all he had felt from Aizen was "isolation" that he's always been walking his path alone with no one at his side to truly care for him for who he truly was, the mastermind of manipulation was just a lonely man who craved for an equal.
Everyone would thing she snapped.
But she had to say the man had been an excellent teacher, although harsh…and sadistic…and painful he taught her many things; many techniques that no one knew she even had-and she had no intention of showing them anytime soon because they were all for that day, the day that would change everyone's lives. "Yuzu?" Karin frowned watching her twin leave the manor, frowning confused she slipped her sandals on and slipped a haori over her kimono and followed her.
Yuzu went underground, confused she tried to be quiet as they went through the sewers and then to two large double doors and was shocked as she saw a man inside and the doors shut behind Yuzu. Karin decided to confront her about it the next day where her twin feigned obliviousness and so she went to the place herself "oh?" Karin froze in terror, it was a feeling this man gave her since she saw him experiment on her brother, "we meet again, Shiba Karin or should I saw Kurosaki Karin?" the burnet smiled somewhat maliciously.
"I…it's you…" she began to shake and felt nauseous, her vision blurred as she stepped back "A…Aizen Sosuke." Karin felt cornered the man stepped towards her and she walked back her hands were shaking too much to even fire a Kido and as his hand reached out, there was a person standing between them.
"You were careless." Aizen stated unpleased,
"I was tired, Karin go home,"
"B…but…"
"I said go home!" Yuzu raised her voice, Karin flinched and she ran in the pathetic state she was in even Yuzu scared her, heck a defenseless bunny would scare her too! "I'll make sure she doesn't say anything, but if you hurt her I'll destroy it," his chocolate brown eyes narrowed and then he smiled-it was anything, but as gentle as it seemed and they both knew it. "Gomen ne Karin-chan, I went to that man to see if he was behind Otou-san's and Onii-chan's disappearance, but it's not him, it's someone far more dangerous and possibly stronger than the former Soutaichou."
"T…that's…!"
"I only ask that you don't tell anyone about him, he won't hurt anyone,"
"You seriously can't be saying that Yuzu!" how could Yuzu side with the monster that ruined her brother's life?
"I have a leverage against him and that leverage it keeps him from hurting our loved ones, if you tell anyone that he's not imprisoned he'll have the excuse to kill those who try and oppose him Karin-chan. I promise to tell you anything I find out, but you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone about him." Yuzu said, Karin wanted to know what happened to her father and her brother so if that was the price…
Then so be it.
"What kind of leverage is it?" Yuzu only smiled sadly.
Urahara glanced up at the teenager who entered his private quarters, it was very rare of her to enter unannounced and she sat beside him before resting her head on his shoulder without saying a word he wrapped his arm around her sensing her troubles. "I…" she hesitated and he pulled her to his lap wrapping his arms around her as he rested his chin on the top of her head, "why is it so difficult?" she asked quietly.
"Life is harsh Yuzu-tan." Kensei walked down the hallway annoyed that Urahara had called him in on paperwork so late in the night, he heard two voices speaking lowly almost whispering as he reached the doorway of Urahara's office he knocked at the door, "one second," the Vizard's brow ticked,
"One second!? You woke me up—!" the words died at his throat at the scene on front of him, Urahara attempting to stand and Shiba Yuzu on his lap with her head resting at his neck with her Kosode open barely covering her chest, his eyes narrowed. "Didn't know you had company," Urahara opened his mouth to clear up the misunderstanding, but Kensei had already slammed the door shut and stormed away the blonde scientist sighed glancing down at the sleeping girl who had tear stains on her cheeks, his hand was resting just below the breast.
"Its for the best I suppose," he murmured removing his hand revealing the Hogyoku, "if he were to know the truth, he wouldn't forgive you as much as he cares about you Yuzu-tan." Urahara sighed again and closed the girl's Kosode to a decent level.
