"No, I went to the Human World. I even saw Toshiro." Yuko sat down opposite Kyoraku, leaning against a rooftop ornament, and dropped the bombshell in a casual tone.
Half the laziness vanished from Kyoraku's face. He set down his flask, his gaze sharpening. "Oh? You saw Captain Hitsugaya? Where is he?"
"Bring him back?" Yuko looked up at the sky. The snow had stopped. "He snapped at me."
"Huh?" Kyoraku stared at her in confusion. "What do you mean, he snapped at you?"
"Exactly what I said. The way he looked at me, you'd think he wanted to eat me alive." Yuko patted her chest, her expression calm. "I was so scared I froze on the spot. All I could do was watch him take off his uniform and jump off the balcony like a rebellious teenager."
Shunsui Kyoraku stared at Yuko for a full five seconds. "Are you messing with me?"
"Nope~" Yuko set the thought aside and looked into the distance. "That kid even took off his Captain's Haori. It was obvious he wanted to face this alone."
Yuko spread her hands. "So how was I supposed to stop him?"
"Even if I could've stopped him from leaving, I couldn't have changed his mind."
Kyoraku pressed a hand to his forehead. "So he's gotten fixated on this after all?"
Yuko looked a little surprised. "You know what's going on?"
Kyoraku rolled his eyes. "Not a clue. But Captain Hitsugaya has never been one to disregard orders and rules. If he's doing this, he must have a reason."
Yuko rolled her eyes at him. "That's a lot of words to say nothing."
Kyoraku's mouth twitched. "So what did you come to me for? You're not asking me to do something that'll upset Old Man Yama, are you?"
Yuko