Unfolding the Truth

Summary: Karin ends up in Ishida's father's hospital and gets herself in danger while helping some ghosts, causing Ryuuken and even Isshin to step into action.

(SEQUEL/SIDE-Story to 'Private Kidou Practise' and 'Life with an Arrancar') Ichi/Rukia, Inoue/Ishida, Hitsu/Hina/Karin

Spoilers: up to manga 323 and

taking place some months after 'Life with an Arrancar' – Just to sum it up: Nel lives with Rukia and Ichigo in the real world with his family and they all just got used to her being around. Isshin pretends to know nothing (like always), but has his fun watching Ichigo raise Nel. In later chapters of that story Karin will start to train with a training-zanpakuto (shinai) in secret at Urahara's – only Yuzu, Kon and the Urahara kids (and of course Urahara) know of this.

Rating: K+ (but may change in the following chapters)

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or any of its characters.

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Chapter 1

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"Oh, boy, this day can't get any worse!" Karakura Town's acting shinigami muttered under his breath, while blocking the snake-like hollow's claw from cutting into his torso.

Knowing he hadn't said that to noone in particular, Rukia swung her Zanpakuto down on the mask of the smallest of the three hollows, shattering the white skull into fading little pieces. "You know, it's a bad idea to say something like this! The day just started!"

On a dumpster, behind which Ichigo's body and Rukia's gigai lay, jumping up and down Nel clapped her chubby little hands. "Geat, Rukia! Itsygo, u can doat! Itsygo! Iiiitsygooooo!"

Annoyed about the Arrancar's antics the third Hollow, a large beast-like monster, screamed back towards the cheering girl. "You are one of us! You traitor! I will rip you apart!" He dived forward, his fangs beard …. just to be met with Zangetsu's sharp blade crushing his mask and purifying the hollow's soul.

Ichigo returned his giant Zanpakuto to its place on his back and scratched the back of his head looking around. "Anyone left?!"

"Stop joking around, baka! Get into your body! We are late for school and we still have to drop Nel at Urahara's!" The raven haired girl was already in her gigai.

When her orange haired partner finally reentered his human body and a smiling Nel jumped into his arms, Rukia's cell-phone rang. Immediately Ichigo and the toddler faced the female shinigami. "Howwo again?!"

A frown spread on the black haired's features, when she saw that the alarm just showed the receiving of what a cell-phone usually was used for. "No." Rukia's frown even deepened when she recognised the phone-number. "Hai, Rukia here." She answered the call. "What!" ….. "Hai, we are still close to home." ….. "Ok, Yuzu-chan."…. "Which number?"… "Ok, we'll hurry!" With every word her face grew more worried and Ichigo's features mirrored hers though he didn't really know what was going on.

"What's going on, Rukia?! Was that Yuzu? Why didn't she call me?!"

Instead of answering his questions the girl turned on her heels and broke into a run towards the Kurosaki clinic. Tugging Nel under his arm Ichigo followed her and finally got one of his answers when he caught up with her. "Yuzu tried to call you. But you moron forgot to activate you cell!"

Retrieving the small device from his trousers he tried in vain to start it. "I didn't forget to turn it on. I forgot to re-change it!"

"What so ever…"

"Why are we running back home, Rukia?" Before he could hear her response the girl was in the house and up in the girls' room tossing Karin's pyjamas, a t-shirt and trousers into a rucksack.

"What's going on, Nee-san?" Kon came running up to her, when he spotted Ichigo entering his sisters' room.

"Yeah, what's going on? What are you doing with Karin's clothes?"

Ignoring him and the plush animal Rukia scanned the room for other items. "Oh, a teeth brush!" She rushed out of the room just to return a moment later with a comb, teeth brush, a wash cloth and other stuff. Before she could put those items in the backpack Ichigo blocked her way an angry glow in his eyes. "Karin had a little stomach ache today in the morning. I thought she would get …you know… her period and told her it was ok. But it was not!" More confusion was evident on the orange haired boy's expression. "She collapsed just when they reached school and the teacher called an ambulance. They are operating on her just now!"

"What!" Ichigo was furious. 'Why didn't tell she earlier?!' He took the various items out of Rukia's grasp and stuffed them together with a book and the PSP into the rucksack. "Does my father know?" He was angry on her.

"Hai. He is on his way." Rukia followed the boy down the stairs Kon clinging to her shoulder.

Ichigo swung the backpack on his back and scooped Nel up into his arms. "You know which hospital."

"Hai." With that the four left the Kurosaki household, locked the door and were on their way to the hospital.

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When the group left the elevator they saw Isshin and Yuzu sit in a waiting area at the end of the hallway. Ichigo placed Nel onto her feet and locked eyes with the girl. "You won't touch anything. And you will be quite."

The tot nodded and followed the young adults to the rest of the family. "Whas wong wis Kalin?"

"We will know it soon. Just behave." Ichigo walked up to his father with Nel clinging to his school uniform trousers. "How is Karin?! What exactly happened?!" Just in that moment two large doors opened and a nurse wheeled a half-awake Karin in her bed through the corridor.

"Karin! How are you?" Her whole family was at once on each side of the moving bed.

The nurse continued her way to the children's medical unit. "You are her family? … She is just fine, only a little groggy." When she stopped in a room she rechecked the IV and faced Isshin. "You can stay with her. But she needs her rest." Before she left the room she added. "If there is something, just push the button next to the light switch."

Immediately everyone surrounded the ill girl and bombarded her with questions. "How are you, Karin-chan?" "Does it hurt?"

Already annoyed the black haired girl squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm fine. And it doesn't hurt." Feeling a little dizzy. "I'm just so tired."

"It's fine, my little girl. Just sleep." Isshin stroke her black mane as he had done so often when the twins were little. Looking up to the rest of his family, he added in a whisper. "She needs to get the narcotic out of her system. A little sleep will help."

Yuzu just opened the cupboard and tuck the rucksack's content away, while Rukia let herself sink onto the bed and Ichigo took a seat next to her placing Nel on his lap.

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"I wonder where Kurosaki-kun and Rukia-chan are?" Orihime whispered during history class.

"Maybe the appearance of all those Hollows keeps them occupied." Tatsuki whispered back to her friend.

Listening Uryuu glanced at his watch. "In a few minutes it's break." Just in that moment Orihime's cell phone vibrated and the orange headed girl retrieved it carefully and hid it behind her text book reading the message.

"It's Rukia." Everyone of the Ryoka bent forward towards Orihime. "Kurosaki-kun's sister is in hospital cuz of an appendix surgery."

"Inoue, Ishida, … all of you! What's so interesting?!" The teacher stood in front of a caught orange haired girl and laid the book back onto the table, revealing the cell phone. "Inoue!"

Embarrassed Orihime looked up. "Umm, sensei…."

Luckily Uryuu came to her help – having a good status with the teachers because of his grades and behaviour. "Sensei, Inoue-san just got a message from Kuchicki-san informing us, that she and Kurosaki are in the hospital. Kurosaki's sister had an emergency surgery."

Doubtful the teacher watched Inoue's reaction. "Is that so…"

"Hai."

Tatsuki was worried because she knew the twins since they were babies. "How is she?"

"Rukia-chan wrote that Karin-chan is fine now."

"I just wonder why Kuchicki didn't come to school as well. Isn't her sister after all."

"Well, sensei,…. Rukia-chan is very close to Kurosaki's little sisters." Tatsuki explained.

"Yeah, just like an older sister." Orihime added when the bell rang and signalled the period was finally over.

When the teacher eventually left to collect her bag and papers everyone gathered around the orange head. "Emergency surgery?! Aren't you a little over the top, Ishida-kun?!"

Pushing his glasses up his nose, the young Quincy answered in his usually calm voice. "Why?! I assume she had the surgery today in the morning, instead of going to school…"

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Almost two hours had past and the nurse had checked on Karin for the second time, the raven haired girl was much more awake than she was when she first entered her room. Nel had climbed down from Ichigo's lap and was now kneeing on the bed next to Karin's right arm inspecting the IV tube that ran into the girls hand. Curious the green haired child pressed her fingers on the plastic tube causing the yellow fluid to stop dropping from the bottle above. Then she opened her fingers a little and she watched fascinated yellow drops form again. Just when she closed her fingers again she felt an icy glare on her. Looking up her eyes met Ichigo's annoyed gaze. She stopped at once and folded her hands in her lap playing nice.

Yuzu, unaware of Nel's game, wanted to cheer her sister up. "Let's play something. How about UNO?" She took the cards and shuffled them while her brother moved the tray over Karin's body using it as a table.

Soon the whole family was gathered around the tray playing cards with Nel in Ichigo's 'team' trying to peek into Isshin's cards. The ex-shinigami tried to hide his cards in his large hands without his children becoming suspicious that he avoided the Arrancar's glance. Triumphal Nel shouted: "He have a black cad! One wis a numba on it!" Just when she crawled onto Isshin's lap to have a better view he stood up and the girl fell to the floor with a thud. "Wahhhh!"

Ignoring the 'accident' the older Kurosaki man turned his attention to the empty IV bottle and closed the IV tube and took the new bottle from the sideboard.

As soon as the toddler saw this she was on her small feet. "But sat lady said she will change se bowwles!" Nel complained and wanted to stop Isshin, but was caught in Ichigo's arms. "My Dad is a doctor. Remember. He knows what he does." He whispered to the child and added under his breath. "At least most of the time."

Rukia was also unsure and remembered the nurse's instructions. "You think this is ok?"

Ichigo just shook his head. "It's nothing big! Even Nel could change the bottles!"

A gleam sprang to her green eyes. "May Nel?" Her smile faded when a chorus of "NO!" came her way.

Bemused Isshin pretended that he hadn't listened to the conversation and got back to his old game of teasing his children. "What do you mean with 'NO'?! I'm a doctor. Now Daddy is really hurt that his own children won't trust hi-"

Rolling his eyes Ichigo sat Nel back down. "Just change the bottles, old man! And shut up!"

"Thanks, Ichi-nii." Karin sighed and placed her +4 on the heap of cards smiling evilly at her brother, knowing her father would add his +4 and Ichigo would have to draw the cards.

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A/N.: The 2nd and 3rd chapter are almost done and will be up tomorrow. Please let me know what you think.

I will also update my story 'Life with an Arrancar' soon; I just had this idea of the kids finally finding out their father's real identity and skipped a little forward in time. But this story is a direct continuation of 'Life with an Arrancar'.

And now that you read so far it would be really nice to click on the 'Review' button. Reviews keep me writing!