The following day we found ourselves on the outer edge of Rukongai, heading to where the elder they met the day before's map said Kukaku would be. Kukaku... How long had it been? Thirty some years? At least that, since I last saw her. While Ganju was still young, Kukaku would recognize me, and the thought made me nervous.

I nearly tripped when I felt something move against my leg, and I looked down with an annoyed glare, seeing only Yoruichi. "There are better ways to get someone's attention"

"I called your name" she said, amusement clear in her voice.

"Sure, whatever you say" I shrugged. "What did you need?"

"I wanted to see how you were doing?"

"I'm fine" I wasn't, but I didn't want to have people worry.

"It's been a long time since you saw Kukaku"

"I know"

"Kurosaki-san, you know Kukaku?" Ishida asked, causing everyone to look at me.

"Maybe"

"You know alot of people in Soul Society for someone from the human world" I narrowed my eyes at his tone.

"I never claimed to be human, now did I?"

Everyone was quiet for a couple of seconds, probably thinking that over. Despite living in the human world for twenty years, I never once claimed to be a human, even after their powers started developing. I wasn't going to claim to be something I wasn't.

"What are you then, Aunt Enka?" Ichigo's intense eyes met mine.

"Isn't it obvious?" I patted my zanpakuto, feeling her buzz in annoyance. "I'm a shinigami"

"What about-"

"I told you, your dad isn't a shinigami" Now, that wasn't always the truth. But currently it was.

"Then how-"

"That's a long story, kid. One we really don't have time for. I'll tell you about it someday"

"Promise?"

"Of course"

Ichigo nodded his head, and we continued walking, with Ishida with the map taking lead. Inoue slowed a bit, until she was walking beside me.

"About Kukaku... what is he like?"

I thought back to their discussion earlier this morning, and couldn't help but snort in amusement. Their composition of a hermit-like macho samurai with cat ears and a tail was the funniest thing I had seen in a long time, I had to admit.

"Well.. I guess you'll have to see"

"Can't you tell us something about him?"

I spared her a glance, and nearly tripped at the wide eyed stare she was giving me. Ichigo didn't deserve a cutie like this, I swear.

"S-sorry, Inoue. I think it would be funnier for you to see for yourself"

"How long until we reach his house?" Ichigo grumbled.

"Apparently Kukaku moves alot, so knowing the precise location of the house isn't that easy to find. You should be able to recognise it easily, though. Kukaku has.. unique taste" That was an understatement. "Yoruichi has probably seen the most recent versions, so he'll be the best shot at finding it"

"When was the last time you were here?" Inquired Ichigo.

"Ah... a while. Not since before you were born"

"Eh?! That long?!"

"I had more important things to worry about than Soul Society" I shrugged

"Kurosaki-san, if you're a shinigami, why don't you dress like one?" Ishida glanced in my direction.

"I haven't actually been a shinigami in twenty years. Let's just say I retired"

"Twenty years?!" Ichigo spun around to face me. "I didn't think you were that old!"

I could feel my eye twitch, and before he could react, I came up to him and smacked the side of his head. "What have I told you about calling me old?!" I grabbed onto his ear and pulled it, making him cry out. "I've told you a million times! Why do you have these if you're not going to use them?!"

"Owowow! I'm sorry, Aunt Enka! Let go, let go!" He continued to cry out as I tugged on his ear.

"Oh, there it is" Yoruichi's voice made me let go of Ichigo's ear, and I turned to where she was looking.

Kukaku's unique taste has definitely evolved through the years. While the house itself was rather plain, the muscular arms on each side holding up a banner with 'Shiba Kukaku' on it really made it stand out. The Kukaku cannon was right behind it.

The looks on their faces nearly made me giggle. Kukaku had always had this flare for the dramatics, and reactions like this wasn't all that uncommon. However, seeing the house made it dawn on me that I was going to see Kukaku soon. That instantly killed any amusement I had.

With Yoruichi's encouragement, we started heading down towards the house, with Ichigo and Ishida lingering behind in shock. I also trailed a bit behind, despite all my claims that I was fine. I really wasn't, and this just made it even more apparent. What if Kukaku kicked us out if she saw me? What if she refused to help us get into Seireitei? She's currently our only chance of getting in. I voiced that concern to Yoruichi, but she just brushed me off.

"Hold it!" Someone yelled out. That voice was painfully familiar..

"Who goes there?" Another voice, as familiar as the first.

"Strangers! And one is a shinigami"

I gazed upwards towards the top of the arms, and saw them standing there. Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko... they were still around? I heard that after Isshin and I left, the Shiba clan finally fell from its position. The employees wouldn't have stayed after that... but these two were always different. Always loyal to the Shiba clan. I suppose that's why they stayed on.

When they jumped down from their posts, I moved in behind Sado, since he was the largest out of us. I didn't want to be seen just yet.

"You're suspicious characters!" Koganehiko said. "I, Koganehiko-"

"And Shiroganehiko-"

"Will not allow you to pass!" The two finished in unison, and it brought back some memories. Alot of memories of them scolding us in unison, but still memories.

I could see Ichigo prepare to fight, and I was tempted to come out of my hiding place, but Yoruichi beat me to it and popped out from behind Ichigo, and the duo immediately recognised her. And that was all we needed to be allowed inside.

Where Kukaku was...

•••••

The meeting with Kukaku went well, and she agreed to help. Everything went without a single hitch, and no one got hurt... is what I would like to say.

While the original meeting did go well, and if Kukaku recognised me, she didn't let it show. While she definitely grew up, her personality hadn't changed all that much. She was still a little delinquent in her own way, which is why she agreed to help us. Anything to stick it to Seireitei, I suppose.

However, things went south real quick when Kukaku introduced the underling she wanted to send with us. It was Ganju. And as soon as he and Ichigo recognised each other, shit hit the fan. Sitting to the side where I watched everything, I couldn't help but pinch the bridge of my nose. Things like this made me glad I didn't have children of my own, I preferred being the fun, boozy aunt. Less responsibility, less headaches.

I had to suddenly move from my spot, which I did with a quick scootch to the side, as Ganju was sent flying past me and through the shoji doors I had been sitting infront of. I glanced over at Kukaku, and it was clear to see that she was getting annoyed at the two. Not that I blamed her, if this was my house, I would have stopped it by now. But, not my circus, so...

It didn't take too long for the two to make snap. They made the cardinal sin of knocking Kukaku's pipe out of her hands, and I was tempted to start praying for their souls.

I heard a crack, and I saw that one of them had stepped on the pipe, breaking it. Yeah, they were dead. Now I'll have to head back to the human world and try to explain to Isshin how his stupid son died. The air in the room changed, and reiryoku started swirling around Kukaku's hand, and I closed my eyes as she brought said hand down between the two quarreling idiots.

I immediately stood up and went over to the teens, pulling on the two smaller ones to get them to get up, Sado got the message and did the same. I then shoved them out of the door and started running towards the exit, with the teens, Yoruichi and the reiryoku from Kukaku's behind me. We made it outside just to see a flash of yellow breaking through the top of the house.

I tilted my head as I watched the entire house tilt to one side, sinking into the ground partially, with the Kukaku cannon and the stone arms shifting as well. Remind me not to piss that woman off, sheesh.

"D-did she have to go that far just to stop their fight?" Muttered Ishida.

"You don't piss off a Shiba woman" I sighed, in my head I was already planning on what to tell my brother.

"I think I know now why she always moves around" supplied Sado.

I gazed over at the house, the shoji doors that made up the front door was burned from the attack. The tilted house looked like it wouldn't last that much longer. And poor Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko would have to build another one. I knew Shiba woman were known to have a temper, but I've never been this bad? Right?

"Do you think it's safe to go inside?" I gazed down the steps, soon joined by Yoruichi who did the same.

"Probably"

"We should make one of the young ones go first"

"What?!" Ishida spun towards me.

"Well, I'm a middle aged woman. If something falls on me, I might not recover" I blinked innocently. "And Yoruichi is a cat. With a small, fragile body. You youngins would handle things better"

"Middle aged..?" Ishida's eyes twitched at me. "Didn't you get upset at Ichigo for insinuating you were old?"

"Middle aged and old are two very different things. Now get down there"

Ishida sighed, and reluctantly went closer to the door with the other two following. I heard him muttering something about an old woman under his breath, and I moved my foot infront of his leg just as he went to take a first step. He tripped, and immediately started falling down the stairs.

"Oh no, Ishida-kun!" I gasped and covered my mouth, and the two tweens immediately went down after him.

"You're a cruel woman, Enka" mused Yoruichi.

"I did mention that Shiba women had bad tempers, didn't I?" I smirked, and the two of us went down the stairs.

•••••

Somehow, both and Ichigo had managed to survive Kukaku's attack. Although she seemed to have put the fear of God into Ichigo, I might have to capitalize on that layer on. After a good scolding, Kukaku took us to the Kukaku cannon. I had only seen it once before, when she had first developed it. But she had clearly made alot of advancements on it, and seeing it up close and personal was pretty cool.

She also showed us the Reishūkaku, a spherical device that created a large ball made of reiryoku that would help us survive the trip with the cannon. I wasn't entirely sure if it would go through the sekkiseki barrier, but we didn't really have much of a choice.

We were dismissed to go towards the training area, but before I could leave, I heard Kukaku call out my name. I winced, and reluctantly stopped to look at her. Ganju was heading away from his sister, probably to go help with the teaching, and as he passed me, he gave me a look. That was probably the first time he had heard my name, and it was sending the cogs in his head into motion.

Once he was gone, I went over to Kukaku. Before I could ask her, she threw herself on me. She had her arms around me, and her head buried in my shoulder. I was in shock. Kukaku was usually a strong woman, and the last time I had actually seen her like this was at Kaien's funeral all those years ago.

I felt her arms tighten around me, and I softened. I put my one arm around her, while the other rested against the back of her head. Despite technically being her aunt, the fact that I was basically raised alongside Kaien by their mother, Kukaku had felt more like a little sister than a niece. And leaving her behind was one of the regrets I had. It was something I wouldn't ever forgive myself for.