"You should never look down on a sister except to pick her up." - Unknown
There was a time when a mother had existed at the Kurosaki house. A time when she was young and she could cry to her mother all she had wanted. In fact, she probably cried even more than Yuzu.
But also a time when the mother had died. Existing nevertheless, a father, a big brother, and a little sister. To fill the void, Yuzu took it upon herself to fill the blank space in the home that was desperately needed. Dad still presided over his role, albeit very eccentrically. Ichi-nii filled his role in the household as the older brother. But what was she to do? She could not cook, she couldn't clean, she couldn't do anything a mother could. No one was there for her to cry to anymore. So she stopped. Altogether, she quit crying and began to get stronger. She didn't need anyone to get worried about her, not Ol' Beardo, Ichi-nii, or even Yuzu.
She cried not once in seven years. Not when she was in first grade and lost a fight with a sixth grader while trying to protect someone weaker than them. Not when she was in second grade and was chewed out by the principal for throwing a ball too hard at a kid who probably had it coming anyways. Not even while she broke her leg while hiking on some school trip in third grade. Through the years, no argument arose that the emotionally strongest was the middle sister.
There, in the Kurosaki house, was the pillar of strength. She cried not whenever she saw or could sense the phenomena of spectres and other ghostly beings. She didn't tell anyone. It was back to the fact that she didn't want anyone to worry about her. But did she need it? Did she get concerns from the other family members? Of course.
That was because she was the middle sister. Even pillars of strength need love. And she got it. From her father, her sister, her brother.
To Ichigo, she was stronger than almost anyone he had ever known, emotionally at least. She could hold her grief and release it in her own manners, and she didn't bother anyone while doing it. To Yuzu, she was just as an older sister should be, even if they were twins and born on the same day she was still older by a few minutes. To her father, well .. she wasn't even sure.
But she was a sister. A middle sister of steel.
A/N: I don't own Bleach. First of all, I'd like to thank LJ users feather-down and stardust-rain for their imput! It helped out so much and I'm very grateful for it. Secondly, I'm not sure yet if I will make a chapter for Yuzu, but I am sure I may also try and make a chapter to tie the three I know I will be using (Karin, Rukia, and Orihime) altogether. I'm not sure which chapter I'm writing next, Orihime's or Rukia's, but look for it! I hope to have it out by the end of the month.
