Disclaimer: Bleach, its characters and its settings do not belong to me

Kurosaki Yuzu walked towards the west gate. She wore her favorite yellow yukata and carried a small yellow parasol.

Strictly speaking she wasn't allowed inside the gates as a student, but the daughter of a captain had special privileges, especially when her twin was a twentieth seat and her brother was the Substitute.

The guardian of the west gate, the giant Jidanbo stepped into Yuzu's path.

"Halt!"

"Halt?"

"Who goes there?"

"An intruder," said Yuzu solemnly.

"A what? I'm sorry, we don't want any."

Yuzu dropped her voice menacingly. "Allow me through, gatekeeper."

"Never," growled the giant Jidanbo.

"Then you leave me no choice but to defeat you," replied Yuzu. "Consider yourself warned."

"I'd like to see you try."

Yuzu folded in her parasol, held it like a Zanpakuto. She stepped forward in her pretty yellow yukata and poked the giant in the shin.

"Oh," cried Jidanbo, holding at his heart. "I am defeated! The house of Kurosaki lays me low once more!"

Yuzu bowed.

Jidanbo bowed back. "Pass on, Yuzu-chan."

"Thank you Jidanbo-san." Yuzu smiled at the giant and walked past, her geta clicking against the pavement. Karin didn't like geta, she almost muttered something about Hat-and-clogs. Yuzu liked the traditional footwear.

"What have we here?"

Two toughs detached themselves from the shadows near a wall, stalked towards her.

"Good afternoon Madarame-san, Ayasegawa-san."

"Yuzu-chan. Going to see your sister?"

"Yes I am."

"We'll walk you over."

"Thank you."

The eleventh division toughs made a strange pair, Yumichika adjusting his feathers with a small mirror, Ikkaku with his Zanpakuto held behind his neck, walking a bit, Yuzu felt, like a duck.

They were friends of Ichi-nii and she suspected they might have arranged to bring him to the academy. She couldn't exactly ask though.

Elsewhere in the Seireitei Hitsugaya-taicho stalked out of first division headquarters with a deep scowl. Captain Commander Yamamoto had wanted to hit something. Kurosaki - the Substitute to old man Yama, had been missing for days already. Yama was starting to make noises about how he'd made a grave error in not executing Isshin's son while he had the chance. He was losing his memory, he didn't seem to remember that Ichigo was an ally who'd saved shinigami lives.

He'd also seemed to forget that executing Ichigo would have taken considerable doing, Kurosaki wouldn't have liked being executed.

The old man was starting to froth. Maybe he'd finally have the nervous breakdown Toshiro was hoping for. It'd certainly be easier if they could get rid of the old fool - as strong as he was the Captain Commander was becoming a liability.

Hitsugaya considered himself a fair man, even if others blindly didn't consider him a man at all; their opinions were irrelevant. Honor was important.

That was his current problem.

Captain Hitsugaya was the only man in the Seireitei who knew Kurosaki Ichigo had returned, he'd spotted the damn fool at the academy when he'd gone to visit Momo.

Classic Kurosaki. This was the guy who'd tried to bust down Seireitei's front gate once upon a time, apparently he'd just shown up at the academy and assumed no one would recognize him if he shaved his head.

Classic Kurosaki.

Toshiro was left wondering if it was more honorable to back old man Yama as he was duty-bound to, following orders he thought were somewhere between unjust and crazy, or just to ignore Ichigo entirely. Certainly the Seireitei's treatment of Kurosaki had been abominable.

The worst part was there was no one he could talk to. He seldom wanted a sounding board, but he seldom wasn't sure what to do.

Matsumoto, he trusted her-

He trusted her to be Rangiku. Any of the other captains were out, with the possible exceptions of Retsu-san and Zaraki; and he still wasn't sure he could trust either with this. Captain Kurosaki was entirely out, some days Toshiro wondered if the man had a split personality, he was as crazy as Yama.

That left Urahara and Yoruichi.

They were too unpredictable.

So what the hell to do now?

Kurosaki junior didn't lack for balls, he must have tailed someone through a gate to escape the mortal world without being discovered. Very few people knew it could be done. Toshiro had done it a few times, though he didn't know anyone else who'd ever managed it. Of course he'd never asked, it wasn't the sort of thing you'd discuss.

Dammit. Toshiro stalked into his office, looked at the stacks of paper on his desk.

He was too irritated to face it right now.

Well, when ties of honor were too confusing he could fall back on ties of friendship. Momo was at the academy already, had been there since before the war had ended. She was delicate though, he wasn't sure he wanted to involve her.

Except if she was at the academy she was more likely to know Ichigo-kun was there than he was.

"Matsumoto, I'm going out for the afternoon. Matsumoto?"

Sure enough his vice captain was asleep on the couch. Rangiku always took a midday nap.

Good. He could disappear for an hour, be back before she woke.

He eyed her uncertainly for a moment, more specifically, eyed her chest. Then, with a hint of a blush on his scowling face the young captain turned and stormed out of his office.

Quietly, so he didn't wake Rangiku.

Toshiro was well aware of what was supposed to happen when he reached a certain age, and already extremely angry (worried) about it. Already he was feeling the very edges of it, just a little - curiosity.

He knew bloody well what Rangiku had in her gi, he didn't need to see!

The academy? Easy. Bankai? No trouble at all. Being the youngest captain ever? He'd done that too.

Puberty with Rangiku as his vice captain?

That had him really, really worried.

Dammit! Forget Rangiku's-

Just concentrate on Kurosaki!

Wait a minute. Kurosaki Karin.

Yeaaah, Karin-san. If anyone already knew Ichigo was here it'd be his sisters. He could have a word with Karin, suggest Ichigo might come up with a better disguise-

He hadn't seen much of her since the end of the war, she usually didn't want to talk-

Oh damn. That was probably another cursed puberty thing, now that he looked at it. She'd asked him to visit her at the academy a couple of times, he'd answered he was a captain. She'd gotten mad, at the time he hadn't known why.

The sinking feeling in his stomach gave Hitsugaya Toshiro a horrible feeling that he was just a few short years from understanding perfectly.

Why him?

No, don't think about it. Karin-chan – Karin-san was Ichigo's sister, she'd have to know what he was up to, wouldn't she?

Ichigo had to cover himself better, Toshiro had to get him that message.

Karin first, then try Momo if that didn't work?

Honor demanded he treat an ally like an ally, regardless of orders from above. Kurosaki Ichigo had his respect, he wouldn't abandon the guy regardless of Yamamoto.

First he had to splash a little cold water on his face.

Karin was a seated officer in seventh division, she'd have a small cube in their administration building. He'd try there first. That was the one blessedly good part of being this age, he could walk into that building, mutter he was looking for Kurosaki Karin and everyone would laugh it off. At least he had some cover.

Plausible deniability.

Though if it got back to Rangiku-

He didn't even want to think about that.

Toshiro shunpoed past the front desk, took the stairs instead of the elevator. The twentieth seats would be in the basement.

It didn't take long to find her in her cubicle.

"Hello Kurosaki-san."

Kurosaki Karin looked up from her papers. He thought she'd grown a little, though that might have been his imagination.

"Captain Hitsugaya."

Now that he had the vaguest hints about what she might have meant the last they'd spoken her tone didn't sound too good.

Dammit he was blushing again.

"Congratulations on your seated status." Toshiro looked around her cube. It was simpler that he'd thought, Rangiku and Momo both had personalized their spaces a little, but Karin hadn't at all.

"Thank you."

"So, ah, would you like to go for a walk?" It was an innocent enough question.

"Are you asking me on a date Captain?"

Hitsugaya blushed ferociously.

"Not a date. I just thought you might want to go for a walk with me." Come on, Kurosaki, it's a simple enough request, I've got something I need to say to you.

"When?"

"Ah, right now?"

"I'm working right now."

"After maybe?"

"Yuzu is coming after."

"Tomorrow then?"

"I'll think about it."

Why was she being so cold?

"Snowy-chan!"

Hitsuguya turned, forced himself to relax.

"Please, Yuzu-san, it's Captain."

"Captain Snowy?"

He hazarded another try. "Hitsuguya-' and barely got out the word "-chan?"

"Snowy-chan!"

"It was nice to see you both, I have to go." Hitsuguya hurried out, red faced and beaten.

Karin waited until the young captain was out of earshot, looked at her twin. "Since when do you call him Snowy-chan?"

Yuzu made a face. "Since he told you captains are too important to visit girls at the academy."

Karin laughed. "Let's go to goat-chins. I want to get changed."

"Okay."

The goat wasn't there. He had closet space though, and Karin and Yuzu made use of it. Karin changed out of her uniform, donned her pale pink yukata with the red flowers.

"Where did you get those?"

"These?" Yuzu stepped into her clogs. "They were a gift from Urahara-san. Didn't he get some for you?"

"He got me a bucket hat."

"He got me one as well, but it's too big."

The twins walked through the seireitei towards the commercial districts. Technically Yuzu wasn't allowed here, but anyone who wouldn't make an exception for Captain Kurosaki's daughter was willing to make one for Ichi-nii's sister, especially since she'd been unofficially adopted by Zaraki Kenpatchi's eleventh squad.

Yuzu leaned close.

"We have to talk Karin."

"Has goat chin told you about Ichigo?" Karin whispered.

"No," Yuzu whispered back, "Ichigo told me about Ichigo. He's here."

Yuzu was very quick, she had a hand against Karin's lips, stifled her twin's shout.

"What?" Karin hissed. "I'm not even supposed to know he's missing. Nobody under fifth seat is supposed to know."

The twins stilled as they passed a group of people.

"He's shaved his head," said Yuzu.

"Shaved like Ikkaku? That's his disguise? Where did you see him?"

"At the academy, he got himself enrolled somehow." Yuzu looked around, didn't see anyone suspicious.

"Rukia-nee," growled Karin. "She's on leave at the academy. Kuchiki has her little fingers in this, I'd bet money on it."

"That's what I thought," said Yuzu. "Is it safe to tell goat chin?"

There was a time Karin would have replied immediately. Now she thought it over.

"I don't know. He's-no. No, I don't think we should."

Yuzu's eyes went wide. "Why not? You don't-" she paused, waited for two shinigami to go by. "You don't think he'd-"

"He might do something stupid," replied Karin. "Goat chin is more likely to be watched then we are. I don't think it's safe to tell him. Is there anything we can do to help Ichigo?"

"Other than staying away from him? I can't think of anything."

"Ichi-nii," said Karin, "you've got a hell of a nose for trouble."