Breath of Life
Of That~

"No. I just remembered a bit of homework I have to do before I watch the movie with you." Yuzu turned and walked up the stairs. The tone of her voice strained when she said this and she refused to look the two in the eye. She walked up the stairs, her feet making a slight sound as she went up. She then went to her desk and sat down.

The brown haired female picked up a pencil and began to twist it back and forth rather then doing her homework. She finally let out a sigh and pulled out her notebook and began to scribble on it with her colored markers, making a lot of hearts and not really paying attention to what she was doodling as she began to day dream.

She was drawn from her daze when Karin came into the room. "You missed the movie."

"Umm..." Yuzu glanced down at her notebook, frowning as she did so. In one heart she had written Kaien plus Yuzu and she clapped a hand over the heart. "About what Rukia-nee said about our uncle."

"What about it?" Karin went and sat at her desk in order to get the final things she needed for the next day of school done.

"Well, she said it wasn't possible." The girl spoke up, setting the pink marker on top of the notebook before pulling a textbook on top.

"What wasn't possible?" The girl frowned.

"I think she was trying to say it wasn't possible for him to be our uncle."

"Do you think dad would lie to us about that?"

"Well, Rukia acted like she knew him. Why then would dad hide him from her? We only have dad's word that he's our uncle." Yuzu placed her hands in front of the items she was trying to hide from her sister, the corners of her lips twisting up into a frown.

"Umm... I believe dad."

"No you don't. Something is bothering you. There is something that tells you there is something dad isn't telling us." The brown haired twin suddenly puffed out her cheeks.

"Just because he isn't telling us something doesn't mean that he's lying to us. And you're right in saying that I think there is something dad isn't telling us, but you know what? Ichi-nii seems to be out of the loop as much as we are." Karin went back to her homework. Without looking up she spoke. "Have you finished what you needed to get done for school?"

"Umm... I've got tomorrow to work on it." The girl got up and changed into her nightclothes before crawling into the bed and pulling her covers over her head. She heard her sister click the light on her desk off. Yuzu found herself soon falling asleep despite the fact the lamp from Karin's desk was still on.

M

The next morning Yuzu woke up early and began to cook breakfast. Her mouth was turned down at the sides as she worked. The door to the clinic opened and a male voice could be heard. "The look on your face seems as if you're trying to beat back an enemy."

The small female startled, her wrist hitting the handle of the pan and knocking it onto the floor as she looked at the man in surprise as she clutched her burnt hand. "I..."

Kaien shook his head and bent down scooping up the hot pan and quickly sticking it in the sink. "Where is the first aid kit, or do I need to go to the clinic and get one."

"It's in the cupboard over there." The small female's cheeks flushed up as he went to work bandaging up her hand before cleaning up her mess.

"Go and sit."

"But..."

"Yeah, I got that its your job to do the cooking and stuff, but it wouldn't be right for me to let my cute niece cook with her hand injured like that." Kaien didn't see the frustrated look on her face before he went to work tossing something together.

Isshin's footsteps could be heard on the stairs and he looked at the two. "What happened this time?"

"I startled Yuzu-chan when I came in through the clinic. I'm not letting her cook with her hand burnt."

The other man let out a deep sigh. "Sorry Yuzu, but your uncle is right."

Soon the other two Kurosaki family members came down the stairs. Karin and Ichigo gave both Kaien and Yuzu strange looks but decided it was best to say nothing. Ichigo finally stood up. "I'd better go and help Rukia with that school project of hers."

"What?"

"Rukia showed up last night." Karin piped up. "It was a rather interesting experience."

"Oh..." Isshin's voice tensed up. "I thought I told you guys we weren't to have guests over?"

"Rukia came over to drop off a gift for our guest. Speaking of which..." Ichigo reached into his back pocket and tossed the small stuffed animal at his uncle only for the man to catch it. "She left it behind."

"A chappy?" Kaien frowned before setting it onto the counter. He didn't say anything more, but the two girls looked at each other.

"Is that some sort of old cartoon show?" Karin finally asked.

"I guess. I don't really remember." Their uncle brought over the food. "Ichigo, are you sure you don't want to eat."

The orange haired teen stared at the man, the corners of his mouth turning down. "Are you sure you and my dad are related? You're so much more level headed then he is and the way you try to mother us is kind of smothering." He watched as the corner of the man's mouth suddenly twitched before grabbing a couple of slices of toast. "I really have to go now."

Kaien sat down in one of the empty chairs and leaned on his arm. "Is there a problem with the way I'm acting."

"You're acting the way you always acted, so no." Isshin brought his cup of coffee to his mouth. "Ichigo's a teenager and he's going to graduate high school though, so don't worry about him. That's what I think his real problem is. You don't have to make an effort to fit in either. Let things come to you rather then forcing them. Anyways, I'll be in the clinic. If an emergency comes up I'll be there, or if need be the local hospital."

Kaien nodded his head, only to suddenly flinch after the man had left the room. "Say what!"

"Dad sometimes hangs out with Uncle Ryukin. They're rather good friends and I think he's related to our mother." Karin piped up as she worked away at her food.

The phone rang and Kaien picked it up. A frown crossed his face and he suddenly held it out to the girl. "I think its the salesman from yesterday. Apparently a friend of yours wants to speak to you."

"Oh! By salesman you must mean Urahara." Karin grabbed the phone. "Hello Urahara."

"Ahh! Hi Karin-chan! Someone is here to speak with you!"

"Mr. Urahara is the owner of the candy shop. Ururu and Jinta live with him, they're very good friends of ours."

"I see..."

"Kurosaki?"

"Toshiro? I thought you weren't able to..." Karin glanced over at her rather wide eyed twin. "I thought you weren't going to be able to come to Karakura."

Yuzu's face suddenly brightened up. "Toshiro's Karin's boyfriend."

"Toshiro..." Kaien shook his head. "Kind of like how Rukia is Ichigo's."

Karin almost opened her mouth to say something, thus interrupting her conversation with the small captain of the tenth, only to see her uncle cross his fingers and shake them, indicating he fully understood that they were not dating.

"Don't they make two sets of adorable couples!"

"I guess so." The small female then hung up the phone. Kaien glanced up. "What did your friends say that is so sad."

The small female frowned. "Umm... Toshiro's not very good at making friends, and I'll leave it at that, and that I'm going to be meeting him. If either one of you need me, Tsubakidai isn't far away."

The girl then hurried out of the room and Kaien looked at Yuzu. "Hey... you missed watching the movie with Karin and I yesterday. Do you want to watch one now."

The small female bit her lip. "No, I've got a cooking program I want to watch. Bye."

"Bye... you're just going to be on the couch... never mind." Kaien began to pick up the dishes and worked on cleaning up. He quickly finished before looking at the door. "You know, I'm going to go for a walk, do you want to come with?"

"Dad doesn't want you leaving!"

"What he doesn't know can't hurt him. I'll be fine, plus... I'm a little worried as I can't feel his presence anymore."

"Feel his presence? What do you mean by that?"

Kaien blinked a couple of times before shaking his head and heading out, pulling in a particular feeling that he had. After a bit, he found himself feeling a familiar feeling coming from a near by park. Instinctively he moved at a fast pace and caused a few people to turn their heads as a wind passed by him, but no one seemed to actually notice him.

He arrived inside the park and skidded to a stop, just in time to see one of those monsters attacking his niece and a rather young boy trying to protect her from the hollow. The boy took a blow to the chest before staggering back and getting another to the leg. Kaien couldn't hep but notice that a similar body was nearby and more instinct kicked in.

He was soon out of the fake body and pulling out his blade. He moved to place himself between the hollow and the two children, his blade coming up to slice the creature in the mask. He then turned to see if both were all right, only to see that both had rather horrified expressions on their faces that hadn't been there when the Hollow had attacked.

Author's note – Isshin being a Shiba is official canon. A lot of people think he's their uncle, but so far there is nothing out right saying that Isshin is the uncle that Kukaku is thinking of.