"So, what did you want?" Mayuri asked, apparently annoyed with Emily's presence in his lab. They were alone.

"Why didn't you blow my cover?"

He shrugged. "I have no interest in you anymore. I don't occupy my time with failures."

"F…failure?" Emily asked, shocked.

"Yes, that's what you are. A useless failure. You know, my purpose was to create weapons. You are a useless life form. Even those that are dead now were better. I was supposed to kill your personality. Your brothers were quite good, but you… you were a failure! Even now, you still harvest those useless feelings. You are useless and you were just like a disease, slowly infecting my best results. You are the reason they started to develop feelings and no longer obeyed..."

"URUSAI! I was the strongest!"

"I have been trying to figure the reason for that ever since. You are an anomaly, that is the only logical explanation. If you had abandoned those feelings of yours, you would have been the strongest Shinigami ever, only rivaling the Soul King."

"Am I not that already?"

"No, because you gave it up."

Emily palled, taking a few staggered steps back. 'He knows? H-how?'

"I haven't given anything up! What makes you say that?"

Mayuri looked at her uninterested. "Your reiatsu level is quite low. When I came here it was higher, but after a few months something happened and you lost it. I honestly don't care what. I'm more interested in that creature you have in your Inner World, the source of those Hollow-like powers of yours. Would you mind showing me?"

Emily was trembling slightly, pale and feeling weak. 'It was a mistake… it was a mistake! I shouldn't have come here!'

'How about you fix it? Summon the mask, kill him and cover the whole thing, saying it was self-defense. Who would doubt it? The guy just escaped from the Maggots Nest, for goodness sake!'

'No! I can't! If I do that I'd be just like him!'

"What are you talking about? Hollow powers, honestly? Is that even possible?"

Mayuri grinned. "It's not. That is the reason why I want to study you. You are an anomaly, as I've said. If you don't want to show me, no problem, I'll make you!"

He shunpoed right behind Emily, holding his sword at her neck. 'When did he get Shinigami abilities?' She was trembling, unable to move. She was sure that it had all been a horrible mistake. She shouldn't have thought that he had changed at all, she had just had a little more courage than usual, but now it was gone. Facing him, the one who had treated her worse than a guinea pig, was quickly killing all the confidence she had gathered over the time. He was her worst fear, her worst nightmare. 'How could I ever think I could face him alone?' She deeply regretted not bringing Shinji or anyone else with her. The blade was slowly nearing her skin, making her feel useless. She couldn't move and she could barely think, being frozen in fear.

"Oi, Kurotsuchi-san, that is rather unpolite~!" Urahara said. Despite the easygoing tone, his face was very serious, almost angry.

"Hmph, does it matter?" the madman asked irritated with the interruption. He felt a strong reiatsu near him, filed with killing intent. A blade was nearing his arms.

"If you don't let go, I'm gonna murder you so painful you'll wonder how come you never knew of this method." Shinji said threateningly.

Mayuri sheathed his sword and left. Emily fell on her knees, but Shinji caught her. She closed her eyes, sobbing quietly, while her face was buried in the crook of his neck. He rubbed her back slowly, waiting for her to calm down.

~~~~~~Urahara's POV~~~~~

I watched Hirako hold Niagra-san gently. He sighed and looked at me for support. I led him to my room where they both sat on my bed. I couldn't help but scan them carefully. She had her arms around his neck and I could see them shaking slightly. Hirako-san was staying with his back towards me, so I couldn't know what he was saying. I only heard that he was whispering something to her in a gentle voice. Her sobbing was slowly calming. I figured Mayuri had scarred her. I watched her smooth red hair mix with my friend's blonde. While she used the silence moments to calm down, I used them to think about what I had heard. She used to be strong, but she had lost her power… she now has hollow powers… who is she? Just when I had solved the riddle, she looked at me with those Emerald green eyes. My first thought was that I completely understood why Hirako-san is heads-over-heels for her. My second thought was that we were all morons. I mean, honestly, nobody could see that she looks exactly like Senkai no Emerald (or anyway, as she was described)? And that alone was enough to raise questions…

~~~~Normal POV~~~~

When Emily calmed down, she noticed that she was being held by Shinji, with Urahara watching them. She knew that look on his face. He wanted answers. She gulped. "You told him?" she whispered so he couldn't hear her.

"No. But if you want to, I will."

Emily nodded, pulling back a little so she could look into Urahara's eyes. She gulped, knowing no lie was good enough.

"Urahara-san… I think you may want some explanations."

"That would be useful, Emerald Senkai-sama." Shinji's eyes widened.

"Don't call me like that! It's just a nickname." Emily complained.

"Ah, gomen, gomen~! I thought that you had chosen it."

"No I haven't. Do you have any questions to ask? And before we start, I would like you to know that this is a secret. No telling anyone, even if they seem to know." Urahara eyed Shinji questioningly.

"This is not a chit-chat subject." The other man said. Kisuke nodded.

"Okay, then. Mayuri said something about… Hollow-like powers? May I see them? Not here, of course, in the training ground."

Emily sighed and summoned her mask. Urahara's eyes widened. "Happy?" He nodded, slightly scared by the dark power. Emmalin explained Urahara everything, from her brothers' death, to the loss of her power and Helen and even Jyubi. He promised to keep the secret.

Emily went home with Shinji. She lounged on her bed, next to him. "How did you know?"

"How did I know what?"

"That I couldn't do it alone. That he would freak me out."

Shinji smiled, playing with her red hair. "Easy. I know you. And Urahara said that it's not safe to leave anyone alone with the freak." He leaned in, kissing her. Emily smiled against his lips, settled for once.

"So it's Kisuke's credit."

Shinji chuckled. "Yeah, mostly."

"Too bad. However, I still owe you one for being there. And I promised we'd finish something…" Emily said with a neutral tone.

Shinji, however, was boiling with impatience. He straddled her hips, looking down at her. "What about… now?"

Emily smirked at his behavior. She pulled him down to kiss his neck, then went upwards to his ear. "Fine." She whispered seductively, sending electric jolts through his whole body.

A/N: The word 'feelings' is empathized because Mayuri spits it in disgust.